THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


PRESENTED  BY 

Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roland  McClameroch,   Jr. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00020914940 


This  book  is  due  at  the  WALTER  R.  DAVIS  LIBRARY  on 
the  last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due "  If  not  on  hold,  it  may 
be  renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  library. 

SWAY  3 

!  i^flffiP 

py"!                       RETURNED 

■  ■•  • •    t 

)    ±    L\J\J\J 

-g-=i  M 

^Y  0  3  2005 

Form  No  513, 
Rev.  1/84 

OAK     OPENINGS. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/oakopeningsorbeeOOcoop 


THE  OAK-OPENINGS; 


THE      BEE-HUNTEK 


BY 

J.    FENIMORE    COOPER. 


$0  ~3-4>  y> 


*'  There  have  been  tears  from  holier  eyes  than  mine 
Pour'd  o'er  thee,  Zion  I  yea,  the  Son  of  Man 
This  thy  devoted  hour  foresaw,  and  wept." 

Milman. 


NEW  YORK: 
D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY, 

549    &    55  1    B  ROADWAY. 
1873. 

TOE  LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 

AJ  CHAPEL  HILL 


Entered  according  to  th.0  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 

W.  A.  TOWNSEND  AND  COMPANY, 

In  tho  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


\68&&wti 


PREFACE. 


It  ouglit  to  be  matter  of  surprise  how  men  live  in  the 
midst  of  marvels,  without  taking  heed  of  their  exist- 
ence. The  slightest  derangement  of  their  accustomed 
walks  in  political  or  social  life  shall  excite  all  their  won- 
der, and  furnish  themes  for  their  discussions,  for  months ; 
while  the  prodigies  that  come  from  above  are  presented 
daily  to  their  eyes,  and  are  received  without  surprise,  as 
things  of  course.  In  a  certain  sense,  this  may  be  well 
enough,  inasmuch  as  all  which  comes  directly  from  the 
hands  of  the  Creator  may  be  said  so  far  to  exceed  the 
power  of  human  comprehension,  as  to  be  beyond  com- 
ment ;  but  the  truth  would  show  us  that  the  cause  of 
this  neglect  is  rather  a  propensity  to  dwell  on  such  in- 
terests as  those  over  which  we  have  a  fancied  control, 
than  on  those  which  confessedly  transcend  our  under- 
standing. Thus  is  it  ever  with  men.  The  wonders  of 
creation  meet  them  at  every  turn,  without  awakening 


PREFACE. 


reflection,  while  tlieir  minds  labor  on  subjects  that  are 
not  only  ephemeral  and  illusory,  but  which  never  attain 
an  elevation  higher  than  that  the  most  sordid  interests 
can  bestow. 

For  ourselves,  we  firmly  believe  that  the  finger  of 
Providence  is  pointing  the  way  to  all  races,  and  colors, 
and  nations,  along  the  path  that  is  to  lead  the  east  and 
the  west  alike,  to  the  great  goal  of  human  wants. 
Demons  infest  that  path,  and  numerous  and  unhappy 
are  the  wanderings  of  millions  who  stray  from  its  course ; 
sometimes  in  reluctance  to  proceed ;  sometimes  in  an 
indiscreet  haste  to  move  faster  than  their  fellows,  and 
always  in  a  forgetfulness  of  the  great  rules  of  conduct 
that  have  been  handed  down  from  above.  Nevertheless, 
the  main  course  is  onward ;  and  the  day,  in  the  sense  of 
time,  is  not  distant,  when  the  whole  earth  is  to  be  filled 
with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  "  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea." 

One  of  the  great  stumbling-blocks  with  a  large  class 
of  well-meaning,  but  narrowrjudging  moralists,  are  the 
seeming  -wrongs  that  are  permitted  by  Providence,  in  its 
control  of  human  events.  Such  persons  take  a  one-sided 
view  of  things,  and  reduce  all  principles  to  the  level  of 
their  own  understandings.  If  we  could  comprehend  the 
relations  which  the  Deity  bears  to  us,  as  well  as  we  can 
comprehend  the  relations  we  bear  to  Him,  there  might 
be  a  little  seeming  reason  in  these  doubts ;  but  when 
one  of  the  parties  in  this  mighty  scheme  of  action  is  a 
profound  mystery  to  tho  other,  it  is  worse  than  idle,  it  is 
profane,  to  attempt  to  explain  those  things  which  our 
minds  are  not  yet  sufficiently  cleared  from  the  dross  of 


PREFACE.  VI] 


earth  to  understand.  Look  at  Italy,  at  this  very  mo- 
ment. The  darkness  and  depression  from  which  that 
glorious  peninsula  is  about  to  emerge,  are  the  fruits  of 
long-continued  dissensions  and  an  iron  despotism,  which 
is  at  length  broken  by  the  impulses  left  behind  him  by 
a  ruthless  conqueror,  who,  under  the  appearance  and 
with  the  phrases  of  Liberty,  contended  only  for  himself. 
A  more  concentrated  egotism  than  that  of  Napoleon 
probably  never  existed ;  yet  has  it  left  behind  it  seeds 
of  personal  rights  that  have  sprung  up  by  the  way-side, 
and  which  are  likely  to  take  root  with  a  force  that  will 
bid  defiance  to  eradication.  Thus  is  it  ever,  with  the 
progress  of  society.  Good  appears  to  arise  out  of  evii, 
and  the  inscrutable  ways  of  Providence  are  vindicated 
by  general  results,  rather  than  by  instances  of  particu- 
lar care.  We  leave  the  application  of  these  remarks  to 
the  intelligence  of  such  of  our  readers  as  may  have 
patience  to  peruse  the  work  that  will  be  found  in  the 
succeeding  pages. 

We  have  a  few  words  of  explanation  to  say,  in  con- 
nection with  the  machinery  of  our  tale.  In  the  first 
place,  we  would  remark,  that  the  spelling  of  " burr-oak," 
as  given  in  this  book,  is  less  our  own  than  an  office  spell- 
ing. We  think  it  should  be  '•  bur-oak,"  and  this  for 
the  simple  reason,  that  the  name  is  derived  from  the 
fact  that  the  acorn  borne  by  this  tree  is  partially  covered 
with  a  bur.  Old  Sam  Johnson,  however,  says  that 
"  burr"  means  the  lobe,  or  lap  of  the  ear ;  and  those 
who  can  fancy  such  a  resemblance  between  this  and  the 
covering  of  our  acorn,  are  at  liberty  to  use  the  two  final 
consonants.     Having  commenced  stereotyping  with  this 


Vlll 


PREFACE. 


supernumerary,  for  the  sake  of  uniformity  that  mode  of 
spelling,  wrong  as  we  think  it,  has  been  continued 
throughout  the  book. 

There  is  nothing  imaginary  in  the  fertility  of  the  west. 
Personal  observation  has  satisfied  us  that  it  much  sur- 
passes any  thing  that  exists  in  the  Atlantic  states,  unless 
in  exceptions,  through  the  agency  of  great  care  and  high 
manuring,  or  in  instances  of  peculiar  natural  soil.  In 
these  times,  men  almost  fly.  "We  have  passed  over  a 
thousand  miles  of  territory  within  the  last  few  days, 
and  have  brought  the  pictures  at  the  two  extremes  of 
this  journey  in  close  proximity  in  our  mind's  eye.  Time 
may  lessen  that  wonderful  fertility,  and  bring  the  whole 
country  more  on  a  level ;  but  there  it  now  is,  a  glorious 
gift  from  God,  which  it  is  devoutly  to  be  wished  may 
be  accepted  with  due  gratitude  and  with  a  constant  rec- 
ollection of  His  unwavering  rules  of  right  and  wrong, 
by  those  who  have  been  selected  to  enjoy  it. 

June,  1848. 


v^^^^;#^ c--^ 


THE  OAK  OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


"  How  doth  the  little  busy  bee 
Improve  each  shining  hour, 
And  gather  honey  all  the  day, 
From  every  opening  flower." 

Watts's  Hymns  foe  Children-. 


We  have  heard  of  those  who  fancied  that  they  beheld  a 
signal  instance  of  the  hand  of  the  Creator  in  the  celebrated 
cataract  of  Niagara.  Such  instances  of  the  power  of  sensible 
and  near  objects  to  influence  certain  minds,  only  prove  how 
much  easier  it  is  to  impress  the  imaginations  of  the  dull  with 
images  that  are  novel,  than  with  those  that  are  less  apparent, 
though  of  infinitely  greater  magnitude.  Thus  it  would  seem 
to  be  strange  indeed,  that  any  human  being  should  find  more 
to  wonder  at  in  any  one  of  the  phenomena  of  the  earth,  than  in 
the  earth  itself;  or,  should  specially  stand  astonished  at  the 
might  of  Him  who  created  the  world,  when  each  night  brings 
into  view  a  firmament  studded  with  other  worlds,  each  equally 
the  work  of  His  hands ! 

Nevertheless,  there  is  (at  bottom)  a  motive  for  adoration,  in 
the  study  of  the  lowest  fruits  of  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God. 
The  leaf  is  as  much  beyond  our  comprehension  of  remote 
causes,  as  much  a  subject  of  intelligent  admiration,  as  the 
tree  which  bears  it :  the  single  tree  confounds  our  knowledge 
and  researches  the  same  as  the  entire  forest ;  and,  though  a 


10  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

variety  that  appears  to  be  endless  pervades  the  world,  the  same 
admirable  adaptation  of  means  to  ends,  the  same  bountiful 
forethought,  and  the  same  benevolent  wisdom,  are  to  be  found 
in  the  acorn,  as  in  the  gnarled  branch  on  which  it  grew. 

The  American  forest  has  so  often  been  described,  as  to  cause 
one  to  hesitate  about  reviving  scenes  that  might  possibly  pall,  and 
in  retouching  pictures  that  have  been  so  frequently  painted  as 
to  be  familiar  to  every  mind.  But  God  created  the  woods,  and 
the  themes  bestowed  by  his  bounty  are  inexhaustible.  Even  the 
ocean,  with  its  boundless  waste  of  water,  has  been  found  to  be 
rich  in  its  various  beauties  and  marvels  ;  and  he  who  shall  bury 
himself  with  us,  once  more,  in  the  virgin  forests  of  this  wide- 
spread land,  may  possibly  discover  new  subjects  of  admiration, 
new  causes  to  adore  the  being  that  has  brought  all  into  exist- 
ence, from  the  universe  to  its  most  minute  particle. 

The  precise  period  of  our  legend  was  in  the  year  1812,  and 
the  season  of  the  year  the  pleasant  month  of  July,  which  had 
now  drawn  near  to  its  close.  The  sun  was  already  approach- 
ing the  western  limits  of  a  wooded  view,  when  the  actors  in  its 
opening  scene  must  appear  on  a  stage  that  is  worthy  of  a  more 
particular  description. 

The  region  was,  in  one  sense,  wild,  though  it  offered  a  pic- 
ture that  was  not  without  some  of  the  strongest  and  most  pleas- 
ing features  of  civilization.  The  country  was  what  is  termed 
"  rolling,"  from  some  fancied  resemblance  to  the  surface  of  the 
ocean,  when  it  is  just  undulating  with  a  long  "ground-swell." 
Although  wooded,  it  was  not,  as  the  American  forest  is  wont  to 
grow,  with  tall  straight  trees  towering  toward  the  light,  but 
with  intervals  between  the  low  oaks  that  were  scattered  pro- 
fusely over  the  view,  and  with  much  of  that  air  of  negligence 
that  one  is  apt  to  see  in  grounds,  where  art  is  made  to  assume 
the  character  of  nature.  The  trees,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
were  what  is  called  the  "  burr-oak,"  a  small  variety  of  a  very 
extensive  genus ;  and  the  spaces  between  them,  always  irregu- 
lar, and  often  of  singular  beauty,  have  obtained  the  name  of 
"  openings ;"  the  two  terms  combined  giving  their  appellation 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  11 

to  this  particular  species  of  native  forest,  under  the  name  of 
"Oak  Openings." 

These  woods,  so  peculiar  to  certain  districts  of  country,  are 
not  altogether  without  some  variety,  though  possessing  a  gen- 
eral character  of  sameness.  The  trees  were  of  very  uniform 
size,  being  little  taller  than  pear-trees,  which  they  resemble  a 
good  deal  in  form ;  and  having  trunks  that  rarely  attain  two 
feet  in  diameter.  The  variety  is  produced  by  their  distribu- 
tion. In  places  they  stand  with  a  regularity  resembling  that  of 
an  orchard ;  then,  again,  they  are  more  scattered  and  less 
formal,  while  wide  breadths  of  the  land  are  occasionally  seen  in 
which  they  stand  in  copses,  with  vacant  spaces,  that  bear  no 
small  affinity  to  artificial  lawns,  being  covered  with  verdure. 
The  grasses  are  supposed  to  be  owing  to  the  fires  lighted  period- 
ically by  the  Indians  in  order  to  clear  their  hunting-grounds. 

Toward  one  of  these  grassy  glades,  which  was  spread  on  an 
almost  imperceptible  acclivity,  and  which  might  have  contained 
some  fifty  or  sixty  acres  of  land,  the  reader  is  now  requested  to 
turn  his  eyes.  Far  in  the  wilderness  as  was  the  spot,  four  men 
were  there,  and  two  of  them  had  even  some  of  the  appliances 
of  civilization  about  them.  The  woods  around  were  the  then 
unpeopled  forest  of  Michigan ;  and  the  small  winding  reach  of 
placid  water  that  was  just  visible  in  the  distance,  was  an  elbow 
of  the  Kalamazoo,  a  beautiful  little  river  that  flows  westward, 
emptying  its  tribute  into  the  vast  expanse  of  Lake  Michigan. 
Now,  this  river  has  already  become  known,  by  its  villages  and 
farms,  and  railroads  and  mills;  but  then,  not  a  dwelling  of 
more  pretension  than  the  wigwam  of  the  Indian,  or  an  occa- 
sional shanty  of  some  white  adventurer,  had  ever  been  seen  on 
its  banks.  In  that  day,  the  whole  of  that  fine  peninsula,  with 
the  exception  of  a  narrow  belt  of  country  along  the  Detroit 
River,  which  was  settled  by  the  French  as  far  back  as  near  the 
close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  was  literally  a  wilderness.  If 
a  white  man  found  his  way  into  it,  it  was  as  an  Indian  trader, 
a  hunter,  or  an  adventurer  in  some  other  of  the  pursuits  con* 
nectccl  with  border  life  and  the  habits  of  the  savages. 


12  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Of  this  last  character  were  two  of  the  men  on  the  open  glade 
just  mentioned,  while  their  companions  were  of  the  race  of  the 
aborigines.  What  is  much  more  remarkable,  the  four  were 
absolutely  strangers  to  each  other's  faces,  having  met  for  the 
first  time  in  their  lives,  only  an  hour  previously  to  the  com- 
mencement of  our  tale.  By  saying  that  they  were  strangers  to 
each  other,  we  do  not  mean  that  the  white  men  were  acquaint- 
ances, and  the  Indians  strangers,  but  that  neither  of  the  foui 
had  ever  seen  either  of  the  party  until  they  met  on  that  grassy 
glade,  though  fame  had  made  them  somewhat  acquainted 
through  their  reputations.  At  the  moment  when  we  desire  to 
present  this  group  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader,  three  of  its 
number  were  grave  and  silent  observers  of  the  movements  of  the 
fourth.  The  fourth  individual  was  of  middle  size,  young,  active, 
exceedingly  well  formed,  and  with  a  certain  open  and  frank 
expression  of  countenance,  that  rendered  him  at  least  well-look- 
ing, though  slightly  marked  with  the  small-pox.  His  real  name 
was  Benjamin  Boden,  though  he  was  extensively  known  through- 
out the  north-western  territories  by  the  sobriquet  of  Ben  Buzz 
— extensively  as  to  distances,  if  not  as  to  people.  By  the 
voyageurs,  and  other  French  of  that  region,  he  was  almost  uni- 
versally styled  le  Bourdon,  or  the  " Drone;"  not,  however, 
from  his  idleness  or  inactivity,  but  from  the  circumstance  that 
he  was  notorious  for  laying  his  hands  on  the  products  of  labor 
that  proceeded  from  others.  In  a  word,  Ben  Boden  was  a 
"  bee-hunter,"  and  as  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  exercise  his 
craft  in  that  portion  of  the  country,  so  was  he  infinitely  the 
most  skilful  and  prosperous.  The  honey  of  le  Bourdon  was 
not  only  thought  to  be  purer  and  of  higher  flavor  than  that  of 
any  other  trader  in  the  article,  but  it  was  much  the  most  abun- 
dant. There  were  a  score  of  respectable  families  on  the  two 
banks  of  the  Detroit,  who  never  purchased  of  any  one  else,  but 
who  patiently  waited  for  the  arrival  of  the  capacious  bark  canoe 
of  Buzz,  in  the  autumn,  to  lay  in  their  supplies  of  this  savory 
nutriment  for  the  approaching  winter.  The  whole  family  of 
griddle  cakes,  including  those  of  buckwheat,  Indian  rice  and 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS,  13 

wheaten  flour,  were  more  or  less  dependent  on  the  safe  arrival 
of  le  Bourdon,  for  their  popularity  and  welcome.  Honey  was 
eaten  with  all ;  and  wild  honey  had  a  reputation,  rightfully  or 
not  obtained,  that  even  rendered  it  more  welcome  than  that 
which  was  formed  by  the  labor  and  art  of  the  domesticated  bee. 

The  dress  of  le  Bourdon  was  well  adapted  to  his  pursuits  and 
life.  He  wore  a  hunting-shirt  and  trowsers,  made  of  thin  stuff, 
which  was  dyed  green,  and  trimmed  with  yellow  fringe.  This 
was  the  ordinary  forest  attire  of  the  American  rifleman ;  being 
of  a  character,  as  it  was  thought,  to  conceal  the  person  in  the 
woods,  by  blending  its  hues  with  those  of  the  forest.  On  his 
head  Ben  wore  a  skin  cap,  somewhat  smartly  made,  but  with- 
out the  fur ;  the  weather  being  warm.  His  moccasins  were  a 
good  deal  wrought,  but  seemed  to  be  fading  under  the  exposure 
of  many  marches.  His  arms  were  excellent ;  but  all  his  martial 
accoutrements,  even  to  a  keen  long-bladed  knife,  were  suspend- 
ed from  the  rammer  of  his  rifle ;  the  weapon  itself  being  allowed 
to  lean,  in  careless  confidence,  against  the  trunk  of  the  nearest 
oak,  as  if  their  master  felt  there  was  no  immediate  use  for 
them. 

Not  so  with  the  other  three.  Not  only  was  each  man  well 
armed,  but  each  man  kept  his  trusty  rifle  hugged  to  his  person, 
in  a  sort  of  jealous  watchfulness ;  while  the  other  white  man, 
from  time  to  time,  secretly,  but  with  great  minuteness,  exam- 
ined the  flint  and  priming  of  his  own  piece.  This  second  pale- 
face was  a  very  different  person  from  him  just  described.  He 
was  still  young,  tall,  sinewy,  gaunt,  yet  springy  and  strong, 
stooping  and  round-shouldered,  with  a  face  that  carried  a  very 
decided  top-light  in  it,  like  that  of  the  notorious  Bardolph, 
In  short,  whiskey  had  dyed  the  countenance  of  Gershom  War- 
ing with  a  tell-tale  hue,  that  did  not  less  infallibly  betray  his 
destination  than  his  speech  denoted  his  origin,  which  was 
clearly  from  one  of  the  states  of  New  England.  But  Ger- 
shom had  been  so  long  at  the  north-west  as  to  have  lost  many 
of  his  peculiar  habits  and  opinions,  and  to  have  obtained  sub- 
stitutes. 


14  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Of  the  Indians,  one,  an  elderly,  wary,  experienced  warrior, 
was  a  Pottawattamie,  named  Elksfoot,  who  was  well  known  at 
all  the  trading-houses,  and  "  garrisons"  of  the  north-western 
territory,  including  Michigan  as  low  down  as  Detroit  itself. 
The  other  red  man  was  a  young  Chippewa,  or  O-jeb-way,  as 
the  civilized  natives  of  that  nation  now  tell  us  the  word  should 
be  spelled.  His  ordinary  appellation  among  his  own  people 
was  that  of  Pigeonswing  ;  a  name  obtained  from  the  rapidity  and 
length  of  his  flights.  This  young  man  who  was  scarcely  turned 
of  five-and-twenty,  had  already  obtained  a  high  reputation 
among  the  numerous  tribes  of  his  nation,  as  a  messenger,  or 
"  runner." 

Accident  had  brought  these  four  persons,  each  and  all  stran- 
gers to  one  another,  in  communication  in  the  glade  of  the  Oak 
Openings,  which  has  already  been  mentioned,  within  half  an 
hour  of  the  scene  we  are  about  to  present  to  the  reader. 
Although  the  rencontre  had  been  accompanied  by  the  usual 
precautions  of  those  who  meet  in  a  wilderness,  it  had  been 
friendly  so  far  ;  a  circumstance  that  was  in  some  measure  owing 
to  the  interest  they  all  took  in  the  occupation  of  the  bee-hunter. 
The  three  others,  indeed,  had  come  in  on  different  trails,  and 
surprised  le  Bourdon  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  most  exciting 
exhibitions  of  his  art — an  exhibition  that  awoke  so  much  and 
so  common  an  interest  in  the  spectators,  as  at  once  to  place  its 
continuance  for  the  moment  above  all  other  considerations. 
After  brief  salutations,  and  wary  examinations  of  the  spot  and 
its  tenants,  each  individual  had,  in  succession,  given  his  grave 
attention  to  what  was  going  on,  and  all  had  united  in  begging 
Ben  Buzz  to  pursue  his  occupation,  without  regard  to  his 
visitors.  The  conversation  that  took  place  was  partly  in  En  ow- 
lish, and  partly  in  one  of  the  Indian  dialects,  which  luckily  all 
the  parties  appeared  to  understand.  As  a  matter  of  course, 
with  a  sole  view  to  oblige  the  reader,  we  shall  render  what  was 
said,  freely,  into  the  vernacular. 

"  Let's  see,  let's  see,  Stmng&r,"  cried  Gershom,  emphasizing 
the  syllable  we  have  put  in  italics,  as  if  especially  to  betray  his 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  15 

origin,  "  what  you  can  do  with  your  tools.  I've  heer'n  tell  of 
such  doin's,  but  never  see'd  a  bee  lined  in  all  my  life,  and  have 
a  desp'rate  fancy  for  larnin'  of  all  sorts,  from  'rithrnetic  to 
preachin'." 

"That  comes  from  your  Puritan  blood,"  answered  le  Bour- 
don, with  a  quiet  smile,  using  surprisingly  pure  English  for 
one  in  his  class  of  life.  "  They  tell  me  you  Puritans  preach  by 
Instinct." 

"I  don't  know  how  that  is,"  answered  Gershom,  "though  I 
can  turn  my  hand  to  any  thing.  I  heer'n  tell,  across  at  Bob 
Ruly  (JBois  Brule*)  of  sich  doin's,  and  would  give  a  week's 
keep  at  "Whiskey  Centre,  to  know  how  t'was  done." 

"  Whiskey  Centre"  was  a  sobriquet  bestowed  by  the  fresh- 
water sailors  of  that  region,  and  the  few  other  white  adven- 
turers of  Saxon  origin  who  found  their  way  into  that  trackless 
region,  firstly  on  Gershom  himself,  and  secondly  on  his  resi- 
dence. These  names  were  obtained  from  the  intensity  of  their 
respective  characters,  in  favor  of  the  beverage  named.  L'eau 
de  mort,  was  the  placed  termed  by  the  voyageurs,  in  a  sort  of 
pleasant  travesty  on  the  eau  de  vie  of  their  distant,  but  still 
well-remembered  manufactures  on  the  banks  of  the  Garonne. 
Ben  Boden,  however,  paid  but  little  attention  to  the  drawling 
remarks  of  Gershom  Waring.  This  was  not  the  first  time  he 
had  heard  of  "  Whiskey  Centre,"  though  the  first  time  he  had 
ever  seen  the  man  himself.  His  attention  was  on  his  own 
trade,  or  present  occupation ;  and  when  it  wandered  at  all,  it 
was  principally  bestowed  on  the  Indians ;  more  especially  on 
the  runner.  Of  Elk's  foot,  or  Elksfoot,  as  we  prefer  to  spell  it, 
he  had  some  knowledge  by  means  of  rumor ;  and  the  little  he 
knew  rendered  him  somewhat  more  indifferent  to  his  proceed- 
ings, than  he  felt  toward  those  of  the  Pigeonswing.  Of  this 
young  redskin  he  had  never  heard  ;  and,  while  he  managed  to 

*  This  unfortunate  name,  which  it  may  be  necessary  to  tell  a  portion  of  our  readers 
means  "burnt  wood,"  seems  condemned  to  all  sorts  of  abuses  among  the  linguists  of 
the  west.  Among  other  pronunciations  is  that  of  "  Bob  Euly ;"  while  an  island  near 
Detroit,  the  proper  name  of  which  is"Bois  Blanc,1' is  familiarly  known  to  the  lake 
mariners  by  th©  name  of  ''•Bobolo." 


16  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

suppress  all  exhibition  of  the  feeling,  a  lively  curiosity  to  learn 
the  Chippewa's  business  was  uppermost  in  his  mind.  As  for 
Gershom,  he  had  taken  his  measure  at  a  glance,  and  had  in- 
stantly set  him  down  to  be,  what  in  truth  he  was,  a  wandering, 
drinking,  reckless  adventurer,  who  had  a  multitude  of  vices 
and  bad  qualities,  mixed  up  with  a  few  that,  if  not  absolutely 
redeeming,  served  to  diminish  the  disgust  in  which  he  might 
otherwise  have  been  held  by  all  decent  people.  In  the  mean- 
while, the  bee-hunting,  in  which  all  the  spectators  took  so 
much  interest,  went  on.  As  this  is  a  process  with  which  most 
of  our  readers  are  probably  unacquainted,  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  explain  the  modus  operandi,  as  well  as  the  appliances 
used. 

The  tools  of  Ben  Buzz,  as  Gershom  had  termed  these  imple- 
ments of  his  trade,  were  neither  very  numerous  nor  very  com- 
plex. They  were  all  contained  in  a  small  covered  wooden  pail 
like  those  that  artisans  and  laborers  are  accustomed  to  carry  for 
the  purposes  of  conveying  their  food  from  place  to  place.  Un- 
covering this,  le  Bourdon  had  brought  his  implements  to  view, 
previously  to  the  moment  when  he  was  first  seen  by  the  reader. 
There  was  a  small  covered  cup  of  tin  ;  a  wooden  box ;  a  sort 
of  plate,  or  platter,  made  also  of  wood ;  and  a  common  tum- 
bler, of  a  very  inferior,  greenish  glass.  In  the  year  1812, 
there  was  not  a  pane,  nor  a  vessel,  of  clear,  transparent  glass, 
made  in  all  America  !  Now,  some  of  the  most  beautiful  man- 
ufactures of  that  sort,  known  to  civilization,  are  abundantly 
produced  among  us,  in  common  with  a  thousand  other  articles 
that  are  used  in  domestic  economy.  The  tumbler  of  Ben  Buzz, 
however,  was  his  countryman  in  more  senses  than  one.  It  was 
not  only  American,  but  it  came  from  the  part  of  Pennsylvania 
of  which  he  was  himself  a  native.  Blurred,  and  of  a  greenish 
hue,  the  glass  was  the  best  that  Pittsburg  could  then  fabricate, 
and  Ben  had  bought  it  only  the  year  before,  on  the  very  spot 
where  it  had  been  made. 

An  oak,  of  more  size  than  usual,  had  stood  a  little  remote 
from  its  fellows,  or  more  within  the  open  ground  of  the  glade 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  1 V 

than  the  rest  of  the  "  orchard."  Lightning  had  struck  this 
tree  that  very  summer,  twisting  off  its  trunk  at  a  height  of 
about  four  feet  from  the  ground.  Several  fragments  of  the  body 
and  branches  lay  near,  and  on  these  the  spectators  now  took 
their  seats,  watching  attentively  the  movements  of  the  bee- 
hunter.  Of  the  stump  Ben  had  made  a  sort  of  table,  first  lev- 
elling its  splinters  with  an  axe,  and  on  it  he  placed  the  several 
implements  of  his  craft,  as  he  had  need  of  each  in  succession. 

The  wooden  platter  was  first  placed  on  this  rude  table. 
Then  le  Bourdon  opened  his  small  box,  and  took  out  of  it  a 
piece  of  honey-comb,  that  was  circular  in  shape,  and  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  diameter.  The  little  covered  tin  vessel  was 
next  brought  into  use.  Some  pure  and  beautifully  clear  honey 
was  poured  from  its  spout,  into  the  cells  of  the  piece  of  comb, 
until  each  of  them  was  about  half  filled.  The  tumbler  was 
next  taken  in  hand,  carefully  wiped,  and  examined,  by  holding 
it  up  before  the  eyes  of  the  bee-hunter.  Certainly,  there  was 
little  to  admire  in  it,  but  it  was  sufficiently  transparent  to  an- 
swer his  purposes.  All  he  asked  was,  to  be  able  to  look 
through  the  glass  in  order  to  see  what  was  going  on  in  its  in- 
terior. 

Having  made  these  preliminary  arrangements,  Buzzing  Ben 
— for  the  sobriquet  was  applied  to  him  in  this  form  quite  as 
often  as  in  the  other — next  turned  his  attention  to  the  velvet- 
like covering  of  the  grassy  glade.  Fire  had  run  over  the  whole 
region  late  that  spring,  and  the  grass  was  now  as  fresh,  and 
sweet  and  short,  as  if  the  place  were  pastured.  The  white 
clover,  in  particular,  abounded,  and  was  then  just  bursting  forth 
into  the  blossom.  Various  other  flowers  had  also  appeared, 
and  around  them  were  buzzing  thousands  of  bees.  These  in- 
dustrious little  animals  were  hard  at  work,  loading  themselves 
with  sweets  ;  little  foreseeing  the  robbery  contemplated  by  the 
craft  of  man.  As  le  Bourdon  moved  stealthily  among  the 
flowers  and  their  humming  visitors,  the  eyes  of  the  two  red 
men  followed  his  smallest  movement,  as  the  cat  watches  the 
mouse ;   but  Gershom  was  less  attentive,  thinking   the  whole 


18  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

curious  enough,  but  preferring  whiskey  to  all  the  honey  on 
earth. 

At  length  le  Bourdon  found  a  bee  to  his  mind,  and  watching 
the  moment  when  the  animal  was  sipping  sweets  from  a  head 
of  white  clover,  he  cautiously  placed  his  blurred  and  green- 
looking  tumbler  over  it,  and  made  it  his  prisoner.  The  moment 
the  bee  found  itself  encircled  with  the  glass,  it  took  wing  and 
attempted  to  rise.  This  carried  it  to  the  upper  part  of  its 
prison,  when  Ben  carefully  introduced  the  unoccupied  hand 
beneath  the  glass,  and  returned  to  the  stump.  Here  he  set  the 
tumbler  down  on  the  platter  in  a  way  to  bring  the  piece  of 
honey-comb  within  its  circle. 

So  much  done  successfully,  and  with  very  little  trouble, 
Buzzing  Ben  examined  his  captive  for  a  moment,  to  make  sure 
that  all  was  right.  Then  he  took  off  his  cap  and  placed  it  over 
tumbler,  platter,  honey-comb  and  bee.  He  now  waited  half  a 
minute,  when  cautiously  raising  the  cap  again,  it  was  seen  that 
the  bee,  the  moment  a  darkness  like  that  of  its  hive  came  over 
it,  had  lighted  on  the  comb,  and  commenced  filling  itself  with 
the  honey.  "When  Ben  took  away  the  cap  altogether,  the 
head  and  half  of  the  body  of  the  bee  was  in  one  of  the  cells, 
its  whole  attention  being  bestowed  on  this  unlooked-for  hoard 
of  treasure.  As  this  was  just  what  its  captor  wished,  he  con- 
sidered that  part  of  his  work  accomplished.  It  now  became 
apparent  why  a  glass  was  used  to  take  the  bee,  instead  of  a 
vessel  of  wood  or  of  bark.  Transparency  was  necessary  in  order 
to  watch  the  movements  of  the  captive,  as  darkness  was  neces- 
sary in  order  to  induce  it  to  cease  its  efforts  to  escape,  and  to 
settle  on  the  comb. 

As  the  bee  was  now  intently  occupied  in  filling  itself,  Buz- 
zing Ben,  or  le  Bourdon,  did  not  hesitate  about  removing  the 
glass.  He  even  ventured  to  look  around  him,  and  to  make 
another  captive,  which  he  placed  over  the  comb,  and  managed 
as  he  had  done  with  the  first.  In  a  minute,  the  second  bee 
was  also  buried  in  a  cell,  and  the  glass  was  again  removed. 
Le  Bourdon  now  signed  for  his  companions  to  draw  near. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  19 

"  There  they  are,  hard  at  work  with  the  honey,"  he  said, 
speaking  in  English,  and  pointing  at  the  bees.  "  Little  do 
they  think,  as  they  undermine  that  comb,  how  near  they  are 
to  the  undermining  of  their  own  hive  !  But  so  it  is  with  us 
all !  When  we  think  we  are  in  the  highest  prosperity  we  may 
be  nearest  to  a  fall,  and  when  we  are  poorest  and  humblest,  we 
may  be  about  to  be  exalted.  I  often  think  of  these  things,  out 
here  in  the  wilderness,  when  I'm  alone,  and  my  thoughts  are 
acfa/i>e." 

Ben  used  a  very  pure  English,  when  his  condition  in  life  is 
remembered ;  but  now  and  then,  he  encountered  a  word  which 
pretty  plainly  proved  he  was  not  exactly  a  scholar.  A  false 
emphasis  has  sometimes  an  influence  on  a  man's  fortune,  when 
one  lives  in  the  world ;  but  it  mattered  little  to  one  like  Buz- 
zing Ben,  who  seldom  saw  more  than  half  a  dozen  human  faces 
in  the  course  of  a  whole  summer's  hunting.  We  remember  an 
Englishman,  however,  who  would  never  concede  talents  to 
Burr,  because  the  latter  said,  d  V  Americaine,  European,  instead 
of  European. 

"  How  hive  in  danger  ?"  demanded  Elksfoot,  who  was  very 
much  of  a  matter-of-fact  person.  "  No  see  him,  no  hear  him — 
else  get  some  honey." 

v  Honey  you  can  have  for  asking,  for  I've  plenty  of  it  already 
in  my  cabin,  though  it's  somewhat  'arly  in  the  season  to  begin 
to  break  in  upon  the  store.  In  general,  the  bee-hunters  keep 
back  till  August,  for  they  think  it  better  to  commence  work 
when  the  creatures" — this  word  Ben  pronounced  as  accurately 
as  if  brought  up  at  St.  James's,  making  it  neither  "  creatur'  "  nor 
"  creatoore" — "  to  commence  work  when  the  creatures  have  had 
time  to  fill  up,  after  their  winter's  feed.  But  I  like  the  old 
stock,  and,  what  is  more,  I  feel  satisfied  this  is  not  to  be  a 
common  summer,  and  so  I  thought  I  would  make  an  early  start." 

As  Ben  said  this,  he  glanced  his  eyes  at  Pigeonswing,  who 
returned  the  look  in  a  way  to  prove  there  was  already  a  secret 
intelligence  between  them,  though  neither  had  ever  seen  the 
Dther  an  hour  before. 


20  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"Waal!"  exclaimed  Gershom,  "this  is  cur'ous,  I'll  allow 
that ;  yes,  it's  cur'ous — but  we've  got  an  article  at  Whiskey 
Centre  that'll  put  the  sweetest  honeybee  ever  suck'd,  altogether 
out  o'  countenance !" 

"  An  article  of  which  you  suck  your  share,  friend,  I'll  answer 
for  it,  judging  by  the  sign  you  carry  between  the  windows  of 
your  face,"  returned  Ben,  laughing;  "but  hush,  men,  hush. 
That  first  bee  is  filled,  and  begins  to  think  of  home.  He'll  soon 
be  off  for  Honey  Centre,  and  I  must  keep  my  eye  on  him. 
Now,  stand  a  little  aside,  friends,  and  give  me  room  for  my 
craft." 

The  men  complied,  and  le  Bourdon  was  now  all  intense  at- 
tention to  his  business.  The  bee  first  taken  had,  indeed,  filled 
itself  to  satiety,  and  at  first  seemed  to  be  too  heavy  to  rise  on 
the  wing.  After  a  few  moments  of  preparation,  however,  up 
it  went,  circling  around  the  spot,  as  if  uncertain  what  course  to 
take.  The  eye  of  Ben  never  left  it,  and  when  the  insect  darted 
off,  as  it  soon  did,  in  an  air-line,  he  saw  it  for  fifty  yards  after 
the  others  had  lost  sight  of  it.  Ben  took  the  range,  and  was 
silent  fully  a  minute  while  he  did  so. 

"  That  bee  may  have  lighted  in  the  corner  of  yonder  swamp," 
he  said,  pointing,  as  he  spoke,  to  a  bit  of  low  land  that  sus- 
tained a  growth  of  much  larger  trees  than  those  which  grew  in 
the  "  opening,"  "  or  it  has  crossed  the  point  of  the  wood,  and 
struck  across  the  prairie  beyond,  and  made  for  a  bit  of  thick 
forest  that  is  to  be  found  about  three  miles  further.  In  the  last 
case,  I  shall  have  my  trouble  for  nothing." 

"  What  t'other  do  ?"  demanded  Elksfoot,  with  very  obvious 
curiosity. 

"  Sure  enough ;  the  other  gentleman  must  be  nearly  ready 
for  a  start,  and  we'h  see  what  road  he  travels.  'Tis  always 
an  assistance  to  a  bee-hunter  to  get  one  creature  fairly  off,  as  it 
helps  him  to  line  the  next  with  greater  sartainty." 

Ben  would  say  actyve,  and  sartain,  though  he  was  above  say- 
ing creatoore,  or  creatur'.  This  is  the  difference  between  a  Penn- 
sylvanian  and  a  Yankee.     We  shall  not  stop,  however,  to  note 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  21 

all  these  little  peculiarities  in  these  individuals,  but  use  tho 
proper  or  the  peculiar  dialect,  as  may  happen  to  be  most  con- 
venient to  ourselves. 

But  there  was  no  time  for  disquisition,  the  second  bee  being 
now  ready  for  a  start.  Like  his  companion,  this  insect  rose 
and  encircled  the  stump  several  times,  ere  it  darted  away  tct 
ward  its  hive,  in  an  air-line.  So  small  was  the  object,  and  so 
iapid  its  movement,  that  no  one  but  the  bee-hunter  saw  the 
animal  after  it  had  begun  its  journey  in  earnest.  To  his  dis- 
appointment, instead  of  flying  in  the  same  direction  as  the  bee 
first  taken,  this  little  fellow  went  buzzing  off  fairly  at  a  right 
angle  !  It  was  consequently  clear  that  there  were  two  hives, 
and  that  they  lay  in  very  different  directions. 

Without  wasting  his  time  in  useless  talk,  le  Bourdon  now 
caught  another  bee,  which  was  subjected  to  the  same  process 
as  those  first  taken.  "When  this  creature  had  filled  itself,  it 
rose,  circled  the  stump  as  usual,  as  if  to  note  the  spot  for  a  sec- 
ond visit,  and  darted  away,  directly  in  a  line  with  the  bee  first 
taken.  Ben  noted  its  flight  most  accurately,  and  had  his  eye 
on  it,  until  it  was  quite  a  hundred  yards  from  the  stump.  This 
he  was  enabled  to  do,  by  means  of  a  quick  sight  and  long 
practice. 

"  We'll  move  our  quarters,  friends,"  said  Buzzing  Ben, 
good-humoredly,  as  soon  as  satisfied  with  this  last  observation, 
and  gathering  together  his  traps  for  a  start.  M I  must  angle 
for  that  hive,  and  I  fear  it  will  turn  out  to  be  across  the  prairie, 
and  quite  beyond  my  reach  for  to-day." 

The  prairie  alluded  to  was  one  of  those  small  natural  mead- 
ows, or  pastures,  that  are  to  be  found  in  Michigan,  and  may 
have  contained  four  or  Hve  thousand  acres  of  open  land.  The 
heavy  timber  of  the  swamp  mentioned,  jutted  into  it,  and  the 
point  to  be  determined  was,  to  ascertain  whether  the  bees  had 
flown  over  these  trees,  toward  which  they  had  certainly  gone  in 
an  air-line,  or  whether  they  had  found  their  hive  among  them, 
In  order  to  settle  this  material  question,  a  new  process  was 
necessary. 


22  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"I  must  'angle'  for  them  chaps,"  repeated  le  Bourdon; 
"and  if  you  will  go  with  me,  strangers,  you  shall  soon  see  the 
nicest  part  of  the  business  of  bee-hunting.  Many  a  man  who 
can  'line'  a  bee,  can  do  nothing  at  an  'angle'." 

As  this  was  only  gibberish  to  the  listeners,  no  answer  was 
made,  but  all  prepared  to  follow  Ben,  who  was  soon  ready  to 
change  his  ground.  The  bee-hunter  took  his  way  across  the 
open  ground  to  a  point  fully  a  hundred  rods  distant  from  his 
first  position,  where  he  found  another  stump  of  a  fallen  tree, 
which  he  converted  into  a  stand.  The  same  process  was  gone 
through  with  as  before,  and  le  Bourdon  was  soon  watching 
two  bees  that  had  plunged  their  heads  down  into  the  cells  of 
the  comb.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  gravity  and  attention  of 
the  Indians,  all  this  time.  They  had  fully  comprehended  the 
business  of  "  lining"  the  insects  toward  their  hives,  but  they 
could  not  understand  the  virtue  of  the  "angle."  The  first 
bore  so  strong  an  affinity  to  their  own  pursuit  of  game,  as  to  be 
very  obvious  to  their  senses  ;  but  the  last  included  a  species  of 
information  to  which  they  were  total  strangers.  Nor  were  they 
much  the  wiser  after  le  Bourdon  had  taken  his  "angle;"  it 
requiring  a  sort  of  induction  to  which  they  were  not  accus- 
tomed, in  order  to  put  the  several  parts  of  his  proceedings  to- 
gether, and  to  draw  the  inference.  As  for  Gershom,  he  affected 
to  be  familiar  with  all  that  was  going  on,  though  he  was  just  as 
ignorant  as  the  Indians  themselves.  This  little  bit  of  hypocrisy 
was  the  homage  he  paid  to  his  white  blood  :  it  being  very  un- 
seemly, according  to  his  yiew  of  the  matter,  for  a  pale-face  not 
to  know  more  than  a  redskin. 

The  bees  were  some  little  time  in  filling  themselves.  At 
length  one  of  them  came  out  of  his  cell,  and  was  evidently  get- 
ting ready  for  his  flight.  Ben  beckoned  to  the  spectators  to 
stand  farther  back,  in  order  to  give  him  a  fair  chance,  and,  just 
as  he  had  done  so,  the  bee  rose.  After  humming  around  the 
stump  for  an  instant,  away  the  insect  flew,  taking  a  course  al- 
most at  right  angles  to  that  in  which  le  Bourdon  had  expected 
to  see  it  fly.     It  required  half  a  minute  for  him  to  recollect 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  23 

that  this  little  creature  had  gone  off  in  a  line  nearly  parallel  to 
that  which  had  been  taken  by  the  second  of  the  bees,  which 
he  had  seen  quit  his  original  position.  The  line  led  across  the 
neighboring  prairie,  and  any  attempt  to  follow  these  bees  was 
hopeless. 

But  the  second  creature  was  also  soon  ready,  and  when -it 
darted  away,  le  Bourdon,  to  his  manifest  delight,  saw  that  it 
held  his  flight  toward  the  point  of  the  swamp,  into,  or  over 
which  two  of  his  first  captives  had  also  gone.  This  settled  the 
doubtful  matter.  Had  the  hive  of  these  bees  been  beyond  that 
wood,  the  angle  of  intersection  would  not  have  been  there,  but 
at  the  hive  across  the  prairie.  The  reader  will  understand  that 
creatures  which  obey  an  instinct,  or  such  a  reason  as  bees 
possess,  would  never  make  a  curvature  in  their  flights  without 
some  strong  motive  for  it.  Thus,  two  bees  taken  from  flowers 
that  stood  half  a  mile  apart,  would  be  certain  not  to  cross  each 
other's  tracks,  in  returning  home,  until  they  met  at  the  com- 
mon hive  :  and  wherever  the  intersecting  angle  in  their  respec- 
tive flights  may  be,  there  would  that  hive  be  also.  As  this 
repository  of  sweets  was  the  game  le  Bourdon  had  in  view,  it 
is  easy  to  see  how  much  he  was  pleased  when  the  direction 
taken  by  the  last  of  his  bees  gave  him  the  necessary  assurance 
that  its  home  would  certainly  be  found  in  that  very  point  of 
dense  wood. 


21  IES     OAK     OPEHISQS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  How  skilfully  it  builds  its  cell, 
How  neat  it  spreads  the  wax, 
And  labors  hard  to  store  it  well, 
"With  the  sweet  food  it  makes." 

Watts' s  Hymns  fou  Cini/Dr.Etf. 

The  next  thing  was  to  ascertain  which  was  the  particular 
tree  in  which  the  bees  had  found  a  shelter.  Collecting  his  im- 
plements, le  Bourdon  was  soon  ready,  and,  with  a  light  elastic 
tread,  he  moved  off  toward  the  point  of  the  wood,  followed  by 
the  whole  party.  The  distance  was  about  half  a  mile,  and  men 
so  much  accustomed  to  use  their  limbs  made  light  of  it.  In  a 
few  minutes  all  were  there,  and  the  bee-hunter  was  busy  in 
looking  for  his  tree.  This  was  the  consummation  of  the  whole 
process,  and  Ben  was  not  only  provided  for  the  necessities  of 
the  case,  but  he  was  well  skilled  in  all  the  signs  that  betokened 
the  abodes  of  bees. 

An  uninstructed  person  might  have  passed  that  point  of  wood 
a  thousand  times,  without  the  least  consciousness  of  the  pres- 
ence of  a  single  insect  of  the  sort  now  searched  for.  In  general, 
the  bees  flew  too  high  to  be  easily  perceptible  from  the  ground, 
though  a  practised  eye  can  discern  them  at  distances  that  would 
almost  seem  to  be  marvellous.  But  Ben  had  other  assistants 
than  his  eyes.  He  knew  that  the  tree  he  sought  must  be  hol- 
low, and  such  trees  usually  give  outward  signs  of  the  defect 
that  exists  within.  Then,  some  species  of  wood  are  more  fre- 
quented by  the  bees  than  others,  while  the  instinct  of  the  indus- 
trious little  creatures  generally  enables  them  to  select  such 
homes  as  will  not  be  very  likely  to  destroy  all  the  fruits  of  their 
industry  by  an  untimely  fall.     In  all  these  particulars,  both  bees 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  25 

and  bee-lmnter  were  well  versed,  and  Ben  made  his  search 
accordingly. 

Among  the  other  implements  of  his  calling,  le  Bourdon  had 
a  small  spy-glass ;  one  scarcely  larger  than  those  that  are  used 
in  theatres,  but  which  was  powerful  and  every  way  suited  to  its 
purposes.  Ben  was  not  long  in  selecting  a  tree,  a  half-decay- 
ed elm,  as  the  one  likely  to  contain  the  hive  ;  and  by  the  aid 
of  his  glass  he  soon  saw  bees  flying  among  its  dying  branches, 
at  a  height  of  not  less  than  seventy  feet  from  the  ground. 
A  little  further  search  directed  his  attention  to  a  knot-hole,  in 
and  out  of  which  the  glass  enabled  him  to  see  bees  passing  in 
streams.  This  decided  the  point ;  and  putting  aside  all  his  im- 
plements but  the  axe,  Buzzing  Ben  now  set  about  the  task  of 
felling  the  tree. 

"  Stranger"  said  Gershom,  when  le  Bourdon  had  taken  out 
the  first  chip,  "  perhaps  you'd  better  let  me  do  that  part  of  the 
job.  I  shall  expect  to  come  in  for  a  share  of  the  honey,  and 
I'm  willing  to  'am  all  I  take.  I  was  brought  up  on  axes,  and 
jack-knives,  and  sich  sort  of  food,  and  can  cut  or  whittle  with 
the  best  chopper,  or  the  neatest  whittler,  in  or  out  of  New 
England." 

"  You  can  try  your  hand,  if  you  wish  it,"  said  Ben,  relin- 
quishing the  axe.  "I  can  fell  a  tree  as  well  as  yourself,  but 
have  no  such  love  for  the  business  as  to  wish  to  keep  it  all  to 
myself." 

"Waal,  I  can  say,  I  like  it,"  answered  Gershom,  first  passing 
his  thumb  along  the  edge  of  the  axe,  in  order  to  ascertain  its 
state ;  then  swinging  the  tool,  with  a  view  to  try  its  '  hang.' 

"  I  can't  say  much  for  your  axe,  stranger,  for  this  helve 
has  no  tarve  to  't,  to  my  mind ;  but,  sich  as  it  is,  down  must 
come  this  elm,  though  ten  millions  of  bees  should  set  upon  me 
for  my  pains." 

This  was.  no  idle  boast  of  Waring's.  Worthless  as  he  was  in 
so  many  respects,  he  was  remarkably  skilful  with  the  axe,  as  he 
now  proved  by  the  rapid  manner  in  which  he  severed  the  trunk 
of  the  large  elm  on  which  he  was  at  work.     He  inquired  of 


26  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Ben  where  he  should  "  lay  the  tree,'7  and  when  it  came  clatter- 
ing down,  it  fell  on  the  precise  spot  indicated.  Great  was  the 
confusion  among  the  bees  at  this  sudden  downfall  of  their 
long-cherished  home.  The  fact  was  not  known  to  their  enemy, 
but  they  had  inhabited  that  tree  for  a  long  time  ;  and  the  prize 
now  obtained  was  the  richest  he  had  ever  made  in  his  calling. 
As  for  the  insects,  they  filled  the  air  in  clouds,  and  all  the  inva- 
ders deemed  it  prudent  to  withdraw  to  some  little  distance  for 
a  time,  lest  the  irritated  and  wronged  bees  should  set  upon 
them  and  take  an  ample  revenge.  Had  they  known  their  power, 
this  might  easily  have  been  done,  no  ingenuity  of  man  being 
able  to  protect  him  against  the  assaults  of  this  insignificant-look- 
ing animal,  when  unable  to  cover  himself,  and  the  angry  little 
heroes  are  in  earnest.  On  the  present  occasion,  however,  no 
harm  befell  the  marauders.  So  suddenly  had  the  hive  tumbled, 
that  its  late  occupants  appeared  to  be  astounded,  and  they  sub- 
mitted to  their  fate  as  men  yield  to  the  power  of  tempests  and 
earthquakes.  In  half  an  hour  most  of  them  were  collected  on 
an  adjacent  tree,  where  doubtless  a  consultation  on  the  mode 
of  future  proceedings  was  held,  after  their  fashion. 

The  Indians  were  more  delighted  with  le  Bourdon's  ingenious 
mode  of  discovering  the  hive  than  with  the  richness  of  the 
prize  ;  while  Ben  himself,  and  Gershom,  manifested  most  satis- 
faction at  the  amount  of  the  earnings.  When  the  tree  was  cut 
in  pieces,  and  split,  it  was  ascertained  that  years  of  sweets  were 
contained  within  its  capacious  cavities,  and  Ben  estimated  the 
portion  that  fell  to  his  share  at  more  than  three  hundred  pounds 
of  good  honey — comb  included — after  deducting  the  portions 
that  were  given  to  the  Indians,  and  which  were  abstracted  by 
Gershom.  The  'three  last,  however,  could  carry  but  little,  as 
they  had  no  other  means  of  bearing  it  away  than  their  own 
backs. 

The  honey  was  not  collected  that  night.  The  day  was  too 
far  advanced  for  that ;  and  le  Bourdon — certainly  never  was 
name  less  merited  than  this  sobriquet,  as  applied  to  the  active 
young  bee-hunter — but,  le  Bourdon,  to  give  him  his  quaint 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  27 

appellation,  offered  the  hospitalities  of  his  own  cabin  to  the 
strangers,  promising  to  put  them  on  their  several  paths  the 
succeeding  clay,  with  a  good  store  of  honey  in  each  knapsack. 

"They  do  say  there  ar'  likely  to  be  troublesome  times,' ?  he 
continued,  with  simple  earnestness,  after  having  given  the 
invitation  to  partake  of  his  homely  fare  ;  "  and  I  should  like  t<T 
hear  what  is  going  on  in  the  world.  From  Whiskey  Centre  I 
do  not  expect  to  learn  much,  I  will  own ;  but  I  am  mistaken  if 
the  Pigeonswing,  here,  has  not  a  message  that  will  make  us  all 
open  our  ears." 

The  Indians  ejaculated  their  assent ;  but  Gershom  was  a  man 
who  could  not  express  any  thing  sententiously.  As  the  bee- 
hunter  led  the  way  toward  his  cabin,  or  shanty,  he  made  his 
comments  with  his  customary  freedom.  Before  recording  what 
he  communicated,  however,  we  shall  digress  for  one  moment  in 
order  to  say  a  word  ourselves  concerning  this  term  "shanty." 
It  is  now  in  general  use  throughout  the  whole  of  the  United 
States,  meaning  a  cabin  that  has  been  constructed  in  haste,  and 
for  temporary  purposes.  By  a  license  of  speech,  it  is  occasion- 
ally applied  to  more  permanent  residences,  as  men  are  known 
to  apply  familiar  epithets  to  familiar  objects.  The  derivation 
of  the  word  has  caused  some  speculation.  The  term  certainly 
came  from  the  west — perhaps  from  the  north-west — and  the 
best  explanation  we  have  ever  heard  of  its  derivation  is  to  sup- 
pose "  shanty,"  as  we  now  spell  it,  a  corruption  of  "  chiente" 
which  it  is  thought  may  have  been  a  word  in  Canadian  French 
phrase  to  express  a  "dog-kennel."  "Chenil,"  we  believe,  is 
the  true  French  term  for  such  a  thing,  and  our  own  word  is 
said  to  be  derived  from  it — "  meute"  meaning  "  a  kennel  of 
dogs,"  or  "  a  pack  of  hounds,"  rather  than  their  dwelling.  At 
any  rate,  "  chiente"  is  so  plausible  a  solution  of  the  difficulty, 
that  one  may  hope  it  is  the  true  one,  even  though  he  has  no 
better  authority  for  it  than  a  very  vague  rumor.  Curious  dis- 
coveries are  sometimes  made  by  these  rude  analogies,  however, 
though  they  are  generally  thought  not  to  be  very  near  akin  to 
learning.    For  ourselves,  now,  we  do  not  entertain  a  doubt  that 


v28  THE      O/iK    "OPENINGS. 

the  sobriquet  of  "  Yankees,"  which  is  in  every  man's  mouth; 
and  of  which  the  derivation  appears  to  puzzle  all  our  philologists, 
is  nothing  but  a  slight  corruption  of  the  word  "  Yengeese,"  the 
term  applied  to  the  "  English,"  by  the  tribes  to  whom  they 
first  became  known.  We  have  no  other  authority  for  this 
derivation  than  conjecture,  and  conjectures  that  are  purely  our 
own ;  but  it  is  so  very  plausible  as  almost  to  carry  conviction, 
of  itself.* 

The  "  chiente,"  or  shanty  of  le  Bourdon,  stood  quite  near  tc 
the  banks  of  the  Kalamazoo,  and  in  a  most  beautiful  grove  of 
the  burr-oak.  Ben  had  selected  the  site  with  much  taste, 
though  the  proximity  of  a  spring  of  delicious  water  had  proba- 
bly its  full  share  in  influencing  his  decision.  It  was  necessary, 
moreover,  that  he  should  be  near  the  river,  as  his  great  move- 
ments were  all  made  by  water,  for  the  convenience  of  transport- 
ing his  tools,  furniture,  etc.,  as  well  as  his  honey.  A  famous 
bark  canoe  lay  in  a  little  bay,  out  of  the  current  of  the  stream, 
securely  moored,  head  and  stern,  in  order  to  prevent  her  beat- 
ing against  any  object  harder  than  herself. 

The  dwelling  had  been  constructed  with  some  attention  to 
security.  This  was  rendered  necessary,  in  some  measure,  as 
Ben  had  found  by  experience,  on  account  of  two  classes  of 
enemies — men  and  bears.  From  the  first,  it  is  true,  the  bee- 
hunter  had  hitherto  apprehended  but  little.  There  were  few 
human  beings  in  that  region.  The  northern  portions  of  the 
noble  peninsula  of  Michigan  are  somewhat  low  and  swampy,  or 
are  too  broken  and  savage  to  tempt  the  native  hunters  from  the 
openings  and  prairies  that  then  lay,  in  such  rich  profusion,  further 
south  and  west.  With  the  exception  of  the  shores,  or  coasts, 
ifc  was  seldom  that  the  northern  half  of  the  peninsula  felt  the 
footstep  of  man.  With  the  southern  half,  however,  it  was  very 
different;   the  "  openings,"  and  glades,  and  watercourses,  offer- 

*  Since  writing  the  above,  the  author  has  met  with  an  allusion  that  has  induced  him 
to  think  he  may  not  have  been  the  first  to  suggest  this  derivation  of  the  word  "  Yankee.1' 
With  himself,  the  suggestion  is  perfectly  original,  and  has  long  since  been  published 
by  him ;  but  nothing  is  more  probable  than  the  fact  that  a  solution  so  very  natural,  of 
this  long-disputed  question  in  language,  may  have  suggested  itself  to  various  minds. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  29 

ing  almost  as  many  temptations  to  the  savage,  as  they  have 
since  done  to  the  civilized  man.  Nevertheless,  the  bison,  or 
the  buffalo,  as  the  animal  is  erroneously,  but  very  generally, 
termed  throughout  the  country,  was  not  often  found  in  the  vast 
herds  of  which  we  read,  until  one  reached  the  great  prairies 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  There  it  was  that  the  red  men  mostr 
loved  to  congregate  ;  though  always  bearing,  in  numbers,  but  a 
trifling  proportion  to  the  surface  they  occupied.  In  that  day, 
however,  near  as  to  the  date,  but  distant  as  to  the  events,  the 
Chippewas,  Ottawas,  Pottawattamies,  kindred  tribes,  we  believe, 
had  still  a  footing  in  Michigan  proper,  and  were  to  be  found  in 
considerable  numbers  in  what  was  called  the  St.  Joseph's  coun- 
try, or  along  the  banks  of  the  stream  of  that  name  ;  a  region 
that  almost  merits  the  lofty  appellation  of  the  garden  of  Amer- 
ica. Le  Bourdon  knew  many  of  their  warriors,  and  was  much 
esteemed  among  them ;  though  he  had  never  met  with  either 
of  those  whom  chance  now  had  thrown  in  his  way.  In  general, 
he  suffered  little  wrong  from  the  red  men,  who  wondered  at  his 
occupation,  while  they  liked  his  character ;  but  he  had  sus- 
tained losses,  and  even  ill-treatment,  from  certain  outcasts  of 
the  tribes,  as  well  as  from  vagrant  whites,  who  occasionally 
found  their  way  to  his  temporary  dwellings.  On  the  present 
occasion,  le  Bourdon  felt  far  more  uneasiness  from  the  circum- 
stance of  having  kis  abode  known  to  Gershom  "Waring,  a  coun- 
tryman, and  fellow-Christian,  in  one  sense  at  least,  than  from 
its  being  known  to  the  Chippewa  and  the  Pottawattamie. 

The  bears  were  constant  and  dangerous  sources  of  annoyance 
to  the  bee-hunter.  It  was  not  often  that  an  armed  man — and 
le  Bourdon  seldom  moved  without  his  rifle — has  much  to  ap- 
prehend from  the  common  brown  bear  of  America.  Though  a 
formidable-looking  animal,  especially  when  full  grown,  it  is  sel- 
dom bold  enough  to  attack  a  human  being,  nothing  but  hunger, 
or  care  for  its  young,  ever  inducing  it  to  go  so  much  out  of  the 
ordinary  track  of  its  habits.  But  the  love  of  the  bear  for  honey 
amounts  to  a  passion.  Not  only  will  it  devise  all  sorts  of 
bearish  expedients  to  get  at  the  sweet  morsels  but  it  will  scent 


30  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

them  from  afar.  On  one  occasion,  a  family  of  Bruins  had 
looked  into  a  shanty  of  Ben's,  that  was  not  constructed  with 
sufficient  care,  and  consummated  their  burglary  by  demolishing 
the  last  comb.  That  disaster  almost  ruined  the  adventurer, 
then  quite  young  in  his  calling ;  and  ever  since  its  occurrence, 
he  had  taken  the  precaution  to  build  such  a  citadel  as  should  at 
least  set  teeth  and  paws  at  defiance.  To  one  who  had  an  axe, 
with  access  to  young  pines,  this  was  not  a  difficult  task,  as  was 
proved  by  the  present  habitation  of  our  hero. 

This  w^as  the  second  season  that  le  Bourdon  had  occupied 
"  Castle  Meal,"  as  he  himself  called  the  shanty.  This  appella- 
tion was  a  corruption  of  "  Chateau  au  Mid"  a  name  given  to 
it  by  a  wag  of  a  voyageur,  who  had  aided  Ben  in  ascending  the 
Kalamazoo  the  previous  summer,  and  had  remained  long 
enough  with  him  to  help  him  put  up  his  habitation.  The  build- 
ing was  just  twelve  feet  square,  in  the  interior,  and  somewhat 
less  than  fourteen  on  its  exterior.  It  was  made  of  pine  logs,  in 
the  usual  mode,  wTith  the  additional  security  of  possessing 
roof  of  squared  timbers,  of  which  the  several  parts  were  so 
nicely  fitted  together,  as  to  shed  rain.  This  unusual  precaution 
was  rendered  necessary  to  protect  the  honey,  since  the  bears 
would  have  unroofed  the  common  bark  coverings  of  the  shan- 
ties, with  the  readiness  of  human  beings,  in  order  to  get  at 
stores  as  ample  as  those  which  the  bee-hunter  had  soon  collected 
beneath  his  roof.  There  was  one  window  of  glass,  which  le 
Bourdon  had  brought  in  his  canoe  ;  though  it  was  a  single  sash 
of  six  small  lights,  that  opened  on  hinges ;  the  exterior  being 
protected  by  stout  bars  of  riven  oak,  securely  let  into  the  logs. 
The  door  was  made  of  three  thicknesses  of  oaken  plank,  pinned 
well  together,  and  swinging  on  stout  iron  hinges,  so  secured  as 
not  to  be  easily  removed.  Its  outside  fastening  was  made  by 
means  of  two  stout  staples,  a  short  piece  of  ox-chain,  and  an 
unusually  heavy  padlock.  Nothing  short  of  an  iron  bar,  and 
that  cleverly  applied,  could  force  this  fastening.  On  the  inside, 
three  bars  of  oak  rendered  all  secure,  when  the  master  was  at 
home. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  31 

"You  set  considerable  store  by  your  honey,  I  guess,  sir  an- 
ger,"  said  Gershom,  as  le  Bourdon  unlocked  the  fastenings  and 
removed  the  chain,  "if  a  body  may  judge  by  the  kear  (care) 
you  take  on't !  Now,  down  our  way,  we  an't  half  so  paitic'lar  ; 
Dolly  and  Blossom  never  so  much  as  putting  up  a  bar  to  the 
door,  even  when  I  sleep  out,  which  is  about  half  the  time,  now 
the  summer  is  fairly  set  in." 

"And  whereabouts  is  Mown  our  way,'  if  one  may  be  so 
bold  as  to  ask  the  question  tV  returned  le  Bourdon,  holding  the 
door  half-opened,  while  he  turned  his  face  toward  the  other,  in 
expectation  of  the  answer. 

"  Why,  down  at  Whiskey  Centre,  to  be  sure,  as  the  v'y'ger- 
ers  and  other  boatmen  call  the  place." 

"  And  where  is  Whiskey  Centre  ?"  demanded  Ben,  a  little 
pertinaciously. 

"  Why,  I  thought  every  body  would  a'  known  that,"  an- 
swered Gershom ;  * '  sin'  whiskey  is  as  drawin'  as  a  blister. 
Whiskey  Centre  is  just  where  1  happen  to  live  ;  bein'  what  a 
body  may  call  a  travellin'  name.  As  I'm  now  down  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo,  why  Whiskey  Centre's  there,  too." 

"  I  understand  the  matter,  now,"  answered  le  Bourdon,  com- 
posing his  well-formed  mouth  in  a  sort  of  contemptuous  smile. 
"  You  and  whiskey  being  sworn  friends,  are  always  to  be  found 
in  company.  When  I  came  into  the  river,  which  was  the  last 
week  in  April,  I  saw  nothing  like  whiskey,  nor  any  thing  like  a 
Centre  at  the  mouth." 

"  If  you'd  a'  be'n  a  fortnight  later,  stran&er,  you'd  a'  found 
both.  Travellin'  Centres,  and  stationary,  diners  somewhat,  I 
guess  ;  one  is  always  to  be  found,  while  t'other  must  be  s' arched 
a'ter." 

"  And  pray  who  are  Dolly  and  Blossom  ;  I  hope  the  last  is 
not  a  whiskey  blossom?" 

"  Not  she — she  never  touches  a  spoonful,  though  I  tell  her  it 
never  hurt  mortal !  She  tries  hard  to  reason  me  into  it  that  it 
hurts  me — but  that's  all  a  mistake,  as  any  body  can  see  that  jest 
looks  at  mc," 


32  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Ben  did  look  at  him  ;  and,  to  say  truth,  came  to  a  somewhat 
different  conclusion. 

"Is  she  so  blooming  that  you  call  her  ' Blossom?' "  demand- 
ed the  bee-hunter,  "  or  is  she  so  young  ?" 

"  The  gal's  a  little  of  both.  Dolly  is  my  wife,  and  Blossom 
is  my  sister.  The  real  name  of  Blossom  is  Margery  Waring, 
but  every  body  calls  her  Blossom;  and  "so  I  gi'n  into  it,  with 
the  rest  on  'em." 

It  is  probable  that  le  Bourdon  lost  a  good  deal  of  his  interest 
in  this  flower  of  the  wilderness,  as  soon  as  he  learned  she  was 
so  nearly  related  to  the  Whiskey  Centre.  Gershom  was  so 
very  uninviting  an  object,  and  had  so  many  palpable  marks,  that 
he  had  fairly  earned  the  nickname  which,  as  it  afterward  ap- 
peared, the  western  adventurers  had  given  him,  as  well  as  his 
abode,  wherever  the  last  might  be,  that  no  one  of  decently  sober 
habits  could  readily  fancy  any  thing  belonging  to  him.  At  any 
rate,  the  bee-hunter  now  led  the  way  into  his  cabin,  whither  he 
was  followed  without  unnecessary  ceremony,  by  all  three  of  his 
guests. 

The  interior  of  the  "  chiente"  to  use  the  most  poetical,  if  not 
the  most  accurate  word,  was  singularly  clean  for  an  establish- 
ment set  up  by  a  bachelor,  in  so  remote  a  part  of  the  world. 
The  honey,  in  neat,  well-constructed  kegs,  was  carefully  piled 
along  one  side  of  the  apartment,  in  a  way  to  occupy  the  mini- 
mum of  room,  and  to  be  rather  ornamental  than  unsightly. 
These  kegs  were  made  by  le  Bourdon  himself,  who  had  acquired 
as  much  of  the  art  as  was  necessary  to  that  object.  The  woods 
always  furnished  the  materials ;  and  a  pile  of  staves  that  was 
placed  beneath  a  neighboring  tree,  sufficiently  denoted  that  he 
did  not  yet  deem  that  portion  of  his  task  completed. 

In  one  corner  of  the  hut  was  a  pile  of  well-dressed  bear-skins, 
three  in  number,  each  and  all  of  which  had  been  taken  from 
the  carcasses  of  fallen  foes,  within  the  last  two  months.  Three 
more  were  stretched  on  saplings,  near  by,  in  the  process  of  cur- 
ing. It  was  a  material  part  of  the  bee-hunter's  craft  to  kill  this 
animal,  in  particular  ;  and  the  trophies  of  his  conflicts  with  them 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  33 

were  proportionally  numerous.  On  the  pile  already  prepared, 
he  usually  slept. 

There  was  a  very  rude  table,  a  single  board  set  up  on  sticks ; 
and  a  bench  or  two,  together  with  a  wooden  chest  of  some  size, 
completed  the  furniture.  Tools  were  suspended  from  the  walls, 
it  is  true ;  and  no  less  than  three  rifles,  in  addition  to  a  very 
neat  double-barrelled  "  shot-gun,"  or  fowling-piece,  were  stand- 
ing in  a  corner.  These  were  arms  collected  by  our  hero  in  his 
different  trips,  and  retained  quite  as  much  from  affection,  as 
from  necessity,  or  caution.  Of  ammunition,  there  was  no  very 
great  amount  visible ;  only  three  or  four  horns  and  a  couple  of 
pouches  being  suspended  from  pegs :  but  Ben  had  a  secret 
store,  as  well  as  another  rifle,  carefully  secured,  in  a  natural 
magazine  and  arsenal,  at  a  distance  sufficiently  great  from  the 
chiente,  to  remove  it  from  all  danger  of  sharing  in  the  fortunes 
of  his  citadel,  should  disaster  befall  the  last. 

The  cooking  was  done  altogether  out  of  doors.  For  this 
essential  comfort,  le  Bourdon  had  made  very  liberal  provision. 
He  had  a  small  oven,  a  sufficiently  convenient  fireplace,  and  a 
storehouse,  at  hand;  all  placed  near  the  spring,  and  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  magnificent  elm.  In  the  storehouse  he  kept  his 
barrel  of  flour,  his  barrel  of  salt,  a  stock  of  smoked  or  dried 
meat,  and  that  which  the  woodsman,  if  accustomed  in  early 
life  to  the  settlements,  prizes  most  highly,  a  half-barrel  of 
pickled  pork.  The  bark  canoe  had  sufficed  to  transport  all 
these  stores,  merely  ballasting  handsomely  that  ticklish  craft ; 
and  its  owner  relied  on  the  honey  to  perform  the  same  office  on 
the  return  voyage,  when  trade  or  consumption  should  have  dis- 
posed of  the  various  articles  just  named. 

The  reader  may  smile  at  the  word  "trade,"  and  ask  where 
were  those  to  be  found  who  could  be  parties  to  the  traffic.  The 
vast  lakes  and  innumerable  rivers  of  that  region,  however,  re- 
mote as  it  then  was  from  the  ordinary  abodes  of  civilized  man, 
offered  facilities  for  communication  that  the  active  spirit  of 
trade  would  be  certain  not  to  neglect.  In  the  first  place,  there 
were  always  the  Indians  to  barter  skins  and  furs  against  pow- 


34  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

(lev,  lead,  rifles,  blankets,  and  unhappily  "fire-water."  Then, 
the  white  men  who  penetrated  to  those  semi-wilds,  were  always 
ready  to  "dicker"  and  to  "swap,"  and  to  "trade"  rifles,  and 
watches,  and  whatever  else  they  might  happen  to  possess,  almost 
to  their  wives  and  children. 

But  we  should  be  doing  injustice  to  le  Bourdon,  were  we  in 
any  manner  to  confound  him  with  the  "dickering"  race.  He 
was  a  bee-hunter  quite  as  much  through  love  of  the  wilderness, 
and  love  of  adventure,  as  through  love  of  gain.  Profitable  he 
had  certainly  found  the  employment,  or  he  probably  would  not 
have  pursued  it ;  but  there  was  many  a  man  who — nay,  most 
men,  even  in  his  own  humble  class  in  life — would  have  deemed 
his  liberal  earnings  too  hardly  obtained,  when  gained  at  the 
expense  of  all  intercourse  with  their  own  kind.  But  Buzzing 
Ben  loved  the  solitude  of  his  situation,  its  hazards,  its  quietude, 
relieved  by  passing  moments  of  high  excitement ;  and,  most  of 
all,  the  self-reliance  that  was  indispensable  equally  to  his  success 
and  his  happiness.  Woman,  as  yet,  had  never  exercised  her 
witchery  over  him,  and  every  day  was  his  passion  for  dwelling 
alone,  and  for  enjoying  the  strange,  but  certainly  most  alluring, 
pleasures  of  the  woods,  increasing  and  gaining  strength  in  his 
bosom.  It  was  seldom,  now,  that  he  held  intercourse  even 
with  the  Indian  tribes  that  dwelt  near  his  occasional  places  of 
hunting;  and  frequently  had  he  shifted  his  ground  in  order  to 
avoid  collision,  however  friendly,  with  whites  who,  like  himself, 
were  pushing  their  humble  fortunes  along  the  shores  of  those 
inland  seas,  which,  as  yet,  were  rarely  indeed  whitened  by  a 
sail.  In  this  respect,  Boden  and  Waring  were  the  very  antipo- 
des of  each  other ;  Gershom  being  an  inveterate  gossip,  in  de- 
spite of  his  attachment  to  a  vagrant  and  border  life. 

The  duties  of  hospitality  are  rarely  forgotten  among  border 
men.  The  inhabitant  of  a  town  may  lose  his  natural  disposi- 
tion to  receive  all  who  offer  at  his  board,  under  the  pressure  of 
society ;  but  it  is  only  in  most  extraordinary  exceptions  that 
the  frontier  man  is  ever  known  to  be  inhospitable.  He  has 
little  to  offer,  but  that  little  is  seldom  withheld,  either  through 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  35 

prudence  or  niggardliness.  Under  this  feeling — we  might  call 
it  habit  also — le  Bourdon  now  set  himself  at  work  to  place  on 
the  table  such  food  as  he  had  at  command  and  ready  cooked. 
The  meal  which  he  soon  pressed  his  guests  to  share  with  him, 
was  composed  of  a  good  piece  of  cold  boiled  pork,  which  Ben 
had  luckily  cooked  the  day  previously,  some  bear's  meat  roasted, 
a  fragment  of  venison  steak,  both  lean  and  cold,  and  the  remains 
of  a  duck  that  had  been  shot  the  day  before,  in  the  Kalamazoo, 
with  bread,  salt,  and  what  was  somewhat  unusual  in  the  wilder- 
ness, two  or  three  onions,  raw.  The  last  dish  was  highly 
relished  by  Gershom,  and  was  slightly  honored  by  Ben ;  but 
the  Indians  passed  it  over  with  cold  indifference.  The  dessert 
consisted  of  bread  and  honey,  which  were  liberally  partaken  of 
by  all  at  table. 

Little  was  said  by  either  host  or  guests,  until  the  supper  was 
finished,  when  the  whole  party  left  the  chiente,  to  enjoy  their 
pipes,  in  the  cool  evening  air,  beneath  the  oaks  of  the  grove  in 
which  the  dwelling  stood.  Their  conversation  began*  to  let  the 
parties  know  something  of  each  other's  movements  and  charac- 
ters. 

"You  are  a  Pottawattamie,  and  you  a  Chippewa,"  said  le 
Bourdon,  as  he  courteously  handed  to  his  two  red  guests  pipes 
of  theirs,  that  he  had  just  stuffed  with  some  of  his  own  tobacco 
— "I  believe  you  are  a  sort  of  cousins,  though  your  tribes  are 
called  by  different  names." 

"Nation,  Ojebway,"  returned  the  elder  Indian,  holding  up  a 
finger,  by  way  of  enforcing  attention. 

"Tribe,  Pottawattamie,"  added  the  runner,  in  the  same 
sententious  manner. 

"Baccy,  good" — put  in  the  senior,  by  way  of  showing  he 
was  well  contented  with  his  comforts. 

"  Have  you  nothin'  to  drink  ?"  demanded  Whiskey  Centre, 
who  saw  no  great  merit  in  any  thing  but  '  fire-water.' 

"There  is  the  spring,"  returned  le  Bourdon,  gravely ;  "a 
gourd  hangs  against  the  tree." 

Gershom  made  a  wry  face,  but  he  did  not  move. 


36  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"Is  there  any  news  stirring  among  the  tribes?"  asked  the 
bee-hunter,  waiting,  however,  a  decent  interval,  lest  he  might 
be  supposed  to  betray  a  womanly  curiosity. 

Elksfoot  puffed  away  some  time  before  he  saw  fit  to  answer, 
reserving  a  salvo  in  behalf  of  his  own  dignity.  Then  he  removed 
the  pipe,  shook  off  the  ashes,  pressed  down  the  fire  a  little, 
gave  a  reviving  draught  or  two,  and  quietly  replied — 

"  Ask  my  young  brother — he  runner — he  know." 

But  Pigeonswing  seemed  to  be  little  more  communicative 
than  the  Pottawattamie.  He  smoked  on  in  quiet  dignity, 
while  the  bee-hunter  patiently  waited  for  the  moment  when  it 
might  suit  his  younger  guest  to  speak.  That  moment  did  not 
arrive  for  some  time,  though  it  came  at  last.  Almost  five 
minutes  after  Elksfoot  had  made  the  allusion  mentioned,  the 
Ojebway,  or  Chippewa,  removed  his  pipe,  also,  and  looking 
courteously  round  at  his  host,  he  said  with  emphasis — 

"  Bad  summer  come  soon.  Pale-faces  call  young  men  toged- 
der,  and  dig  up  hatchet." 

"  I  had  heard  something  of  this,"  answered  le  Bourdon,  with 
a  saddened  countenance,  "  and  was  afraid  it  might  happen." 

"  My  brother  dig  up  hatchet  too,  eh  ?"  demanded  Pigeons- 
wing. 

"  Why  should  I?  I  am  alone  here,  on  the  Openings,  and 
it  would  seem  foolish  in  me  to  wish  to  fight." 

"Got  no  tribe — no  Ojebway — no  Pottawattamie,  eh  V 

"  I  have  my  tribe,  as  well  as  another,  Chippewa,  but  can  see 
no  use  I  can  be  to  it,  here.  If  the  English  and  Americans  fight, 
it  must  be  a  long  iteiy  from  this  wilderness,  and  on,  or  near  the 
great  salt  lake." 

"Don't  know — nebber  know,  'till  see.  English  warrior 
plenty  in  Canada." 

"  That  may  be  ;  but  American  warriors  are  not  plenty  here. 
This  country  is  a  wilderness,  and  there  are  no  soldiers  here- 
abouts, to  cut  each  other's  throats." 

"What  you  t'ink  him?"  asked  Pigeonswing,  glancing  at 
Gcrshom;  who,  unable  to  forbear  any  longer,  had  gone  to  the 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  37 

spring  to  mix  a  cup  from  a  small  supply  that  still  remained  of 
the  liquor  with  which  he  had  left  home.  "Got  pretty  good 
scalp?" 

"  I  suppose  it  is  as  good  as  another's — but  he  and  I  are 
countrymen,  and  we  cannot  raise  the  tomahawk  on  one  another." 

"Don't  t'ink  so.     Plenty  Yankee,  him  !" 

Le  Bourdon  smiled  at  this  proof  of  Pigeonswing's  sagacity, 
though  he  felt  a  good  deal  of  uneasiness  at  the  purport  of  his 
discourse. 

"You  are  right  enough  in  that,"  he  answered,  "but  I'm 
plenty  of  Yankee,  too." 

"No,  don't  say  so,"  returned  the  Chippewa — "  no,  mustn't 
say  dat.     English  ;  no  Yankee.     Him  not  a  bit  like  you." 

"  Why,  we  are  unlike  each  other,  in  some  respects,  it  is  true, 
though  we  are  countrymen,  notwithstanding.  My  great  father 
lives  at  Washington,  as  well  as  his." 

The  Chippewa  appeared  to  be  disappointed ;  perhaps  he  ap 
peared  sorry,  too  ;  for  le  Bourdon's  frank  and  manly  hospitality 
had  disposed  him  to  friendship  instead  of  hostilities,  while  his 
admissions  would  rather  put  him  in  an  antagonist  position.  It 
was  probably  with  a  kind  motive  that  he  pursued  the  discourse 
in  a  way  to  give  his  host  some  insight  into  the  true  condition 
of  matters  in  that  part  of  the  world. 

"  Plenty  Breetishin  woods,"  he  said,  with  marked  delibera- 
tion and  point.     "  Yankee  no  come  yet." 

"  Let  me  know  the  truth,  at  once,  Chippewa,"  exclaimed  le 
Bourdon.  "I  am  but  a  peaceable  bee-hunter,  as  you  see,  and 
wish  no  man's  scalp,  or  any  man's  honey  but  my  own.  Is 
there  to  be  a  war  between  America  and  Canada,  or  not  ?" 

"  Some  say,  yes ;  some  say,  no ;"  returned  Pigeonswing, 
evasively.  "My  part,  don't  know.  Go,  now,  to  see.  But 
plenty  Montreal  belt  among  redskins ;  plenty  rifle ;  plenty 
powder,  too." 

"I  heard  something  of  this  as  I  came  up  the  lakes,"  rejoined 
Ben;  "and  fell  in  with  a  trader,  an  old  acquaintance,  from 
Canada,  and  a  good  friend,  too,  though  he  is  to  be  my  enemy, 


38  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

accordin'  to  law,  who  gave  me  to  understand  that  the  summer 
would  not  go  over  without  blows.  Still,  they  all  seemed  to  be 
asleep  at  Mackinaw  (Michilimackinac)  as  I  passed  there  P' 

"Wake  up  pretty  soon.     Canada  warrior  take  fort." 

u  If  I  thought  that,  Chippewa,  I  would  be  off  this  blessed 
night  to  give  the  alarm." 

' <  No— t'ink  better  of  dat. " 

"  Go,  I  would,  if  I  died  for  it  the  next  hour !" 

"  T'ink  better — be  no  such  fool,  I  tell  you.' 

§  And  I  tell  you  Pigeonswing,  that  go  I  would,  if  the  whole 
Ojebway  nation  was  on  my  trail.  I  am  an  American,  and 
mean  to  stand  by  my  own  people,  come  what  will." 

"  T'ought  you  only  peaceable  bee-hunter,  just  now,"  retorted 
the  Chippewa,  a  little  sarcastically. 

By  this  time  le  Bourdon  had  somewhat  cooled,  and  he  be- 
came conscious  of  his  indiscretion.  He  knew  enough  of  the 
history  of  the  past,  to  be  fully  aware  that,  in  all  periods  of 
American  history,  the  English,  and,  for  that  matter,  the  French, 
too,  so  long  as  they  had  possessions  on  this  continent,  never 
scrupled  about  employing  the  savages  in  their  conflicts.  It  is 
true,  that  these  highly  polished,  and,  we  may  justly  add,  humane 
nations — (for  each  is,  out  of  all  question,  entitled  to  that  charac- 
ter in  the  scale  of  comparative  humanity  as  between  communi- 
ties, and  each,  if  you  will  take  its  own  account  of  the  matter, 
stands  at  the  head  of  civilization  in  this  respect) — would,  not- 
withstanding these  high  claims,  carry  on  their  American  wars 
by  the  agency  of  the  tomahawk,  the  scalping-knife,  and  the 
brand.  Eulogies,  though  pronounced  by  ourselves  on  ourselves, 
cannot  erase  the  stains  of  blood.  Even  down  to  the  present 
hour,  a  cloud  does  not  obscure  the  political  atmosphere  between 
England  and  America,  that  its  existence  may  not  be  discovered 
on  the  prairies,  by  a  movement  among  the  Indians.  The  pulse 
that  is  to  be  felt  there,  is  a  sure  indication  of  the  state  of  the 
relations  between  the  parties.  Every  one  knows  that  the  savage, 
in  his  warfare,  slays  both  sexes  and  all  ages ;  that  the  door-post 
of  the  frontier  cabin  is  defiled  by  the  blood  of  the  infant,  whose 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  39 

brains  have  been  dashed  against  it ;  and  that  the  smouldering 
ruins  of  log-houses,  oftener  than  not,  cover  the  remains  of  their 
tenants.  But,  what  of  all  that  ?  Brutus  is  still  "  an  honorable 
man,"  and  the  American,  who  has  not  this  sin  to  answer  for 
among  his  numberless  transgressions,  is  reviled  as  a  semi-barba- 
rian !  The  time  is  at  hand,  when  the  Lion  of  the  West  will 
draw  his  own  picture,  too  ;  and  fortunate  will  it  be  for  the 
characters  of  some  who  will  gather  around  the  easel,  if  they  do 
not  discover  traces  of  their  own  lineaments  among  his  labors. 

The  feeling  engendered  by  the  character  of  such  a  warfare,  is 
the  secret  of  the  deeply-seated  hostility  which  pervades  the 
breast  of  the  Western  American  against  the  land  of  his  ances- 
tors.. He  never  sees  the  Times,  and  cares  not  a  rush  for  the 
mystifications  of  the  Quarterly  Review ;  but  he  remembers 
where  his  mother  was  brained,  and  his  father  or  brother  tortured ; 
aye,  and  by  whose  instrumentality  the  foul  deeds  were  mainly 
done.  The  man  of  the  world  can  understand  that  such  atroci- 
ties may  be  committed,  and  the  people  of  the  offending  nation 
remain  ignorant  of  their  existence,  and,  in  a  measure,  innocent 
of  the  guilt ;  but  the  sufferer,  in  his  provincial  practice,  makes 
no  such  distinction,  confounding  all  alike  in  his  resentments, 
and  including  all  that  bear  the  hated  name  in  his  maledictions. 
It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  awaken  the  anger  of  a  nation ;  to  excite 
in  it  a  desire  for  revenge  ;  and  thrice  is  that  danger  magnified, 
when  the  people  thus  aroused,  possess  the  activity,  the  resources, 
the  spirit,  and  the  enterprise  of  the  Americans.  We  have  been 
openly  derided,  and  that  recently,  because,  in  the  fulness  of 
our  sense  of  power  and  sense  of  right,  language  that  exceeds 
any  direct  exhibition  of  the  national  strength,  has  escaped  the 
lips  of  legislators,  and,  perhaps  justly,  has  exposed  them  to  the 
imputation  of  boastfalness.  That  derision,  however,  will  not 
soon  be  repeated.  The  scenes  enacting  in  Mexico,  faint  as 
they  are  in  comparison  with  what  would  have  been  seen,  had 
hostilities  taken  another  direction,  place  a  perpetual  gag  in  the 
mouths  of  all  scoffers.  The  child  is  passing  from  the  gristle 
into  the  bone.,  and  the  next  generation  will  not  even  lavish,  as 


40  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

does  the  present,  at  any  idle  and  ill-considered  menaces  to 
coerce  this  republic  ;  strong  in  the  consciousness  of  its  own 
power,  it  will  treat  all  such  fanfaronades,  if  any  future  states- 
man should  be  so  ill-advised  as  to  renew  them,  with  silent  indif- 
ference. 

Now,  le  Bourdon  was  fully  aware  that  one  of  the  surest  pulses 
of  approaching  hostilities  between  England  and  America,  was 
to  be  felt  in  the  far  west.  If  the  Indians  were  in  movement, 
some  power  wras  probably  behind  the  scenes  to  set  them  in 
motion.  Pigeonswing  was  well  known  to  him  by  reputation  ; 
and  there  was  that  about  the  man  which  awakened  the  most 
unpleasant  apprehensions,  and  he  felt  an  itching  desire  to  learn 
all  he  could  from  him,  without  betraying  any  more  of  his  own 
feelings,  if  that  were  possible. 

"  I  do  not  think  the  British  will  attempt  Mackinaw,"  Ben 
remarked,  after  a  long  pause  and  a  good  deal  of  smoking  had 
enabled  him  to  assume  an  air  of  safe  indifference. 

"Got  him,  I  tell  you,"  answered  Pigeonswing,  pointedly." 

" Got  what,  Chippewa?" 

"Him — Mac-naw — got  fort — got  so'gers — got  whole  island. 
Know  dat,  for  been  dere." 

This  was  astounding  news,  indeed  !  The  commanding  officer 
of  that  ill-starred  garrison  could  not  himself  have  been  more 
astonished,  when  he  was  unexpectedly  summoned  to  surrender 
by  an  enemy  who  appeared  to  start  out  of  the  earth,  than  was 
le  Bourdon,  at  hearing  this  intelligence.  To  western  notions, 
Michilimackinac  was  another  Gibraltar,  although  really  a  place 
of  very  little  strength,  and  garrisoned  by  only  one  small  com- 
pany of  regulars.  Still,  habit  had  given  the  fortress  a  sort  of 
sanctity  among  the  adventurers  of  that  region  ;  and  its  fall,  even 
in  the  settled  parts  of  the  country,  sounded  like  the  loss  of  a 
province.  It  is  now  known  that,  anticipating  the  movements 
of  the  Americans,  some  three  hundred  whites,  sustained  by 
more  than  twice  that  number  of  Indians,  including  warriors 
from  nearly  every  adjacent  tribe,  had  surprised  the  post  on  the 
1 7th  of  July,  and  compelled  the   subaltern   in  command,  with 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  41 

some  fifty  odd  men,  to  surrender.  This  rapid,  and  highly 
military  measure,  on  the  part  of  the  British,  completely  cut  off 
the  post  of  Chicago,  at  the  head  of  Late  Michigan,  leaving  it 
isolated,  on  what  was  then  a  very  remote  wilderness.  Chicago, 
Mackinac,  and  Detroit,  were  the  three  grand  stations  of  the 
Americans  on  the  upper  lakes,  and  here  were  two  of  them 
virtually  gone  at  a  blow  ! 


42  THE     OAK     OTENINGS. 


CHAPTER  III. 


•* Ho!  who's  here? 

If  any  thing  that's  civil,  speak ;  if  savage, 

Take,  or  lend " 

Cymbeline. 


Nor  another  syllable  did  le  Bourdon  utter  to  the  Chippewa, 
or  the  Chippewa  to  him,  in  that  sitting,  touching  the  important 
event  just  communicated.  Each  carefully  avoided  manifesting 
any  further  interest  in  the  subject,  but  the  smoking  continued 
for  some  time  after  the  sun  had  set.  As  the  shades  of  even- 
ing began  to  gather,  the  Pottawattamie  arose,  shook  the  ashes 
from  his  pipe,  gave  a  grunt,  and  uttered  a  word  or  two,  by 
way  of  announcing  his  disposition  to  retire.  On  this  hint, 
Ben  went  into  the  cabin,  spread  his  skins,  and  intimated  to  his 
guests  that  their  beds  were  ready  for  them.  Few  compliments 
pass  among  border  men  on  such  occasions,  and  one  after  an- 
other dropped  off,  until  all  were  stretched  on  the  skins  but  the 
master  of  the  place.  He  remained  up  two  hours  later,  rumi- 
nating on  the  state  of  things  ;  when,  perceiving  that  the  night 
was  wearing  on,  he  also  found  a  nest,  and  sought  his  repose. 

Nothing  occurred  to  disturb  the  occupants  of  "  Castle  Meal," 
as  le  Bourdon  laughingly  called  his  cabin,  until  the  return  of 
day.  If  there  were  any  bears  scenting  around  the  place,  as 
often  occurred  at  night,  their  instinct  must  have  apprised  them 
that  a  large  reinforcement  was  present,  and  caused  them  to 
defer  their  attack  to  a  more  favorable  opportunity.  The  first 
afoot  next  morning  was  the  bee-hunter  himself,  who  arose  and 
left  his  cabin  just  as  the  earliest  streaks  of  day  were  appearing 
in  the  east.  Although  dwelling  in  a  wilderness,  the  "  open- 
ings" had  not  the  character  of  ordinary  forests.  The  air  circu- 
lates freely  beneath  their  oaks,  the  sun  penetrates  in  a  thousand 


T  II  SOAK     OPENINGS.  43 

places,  and  grass  grows,  wild  but  verdant.  There  was  little  of 
the  dampness  of  the  virgin  woods;  and  the  morning  air, 
though  cool,  as  is  ever  the  case,  even  in  midsummer,  in  regions 
stili  covered  with  trees,  was  balmy ;  and,  at  that  particular 
spot,  it  came  to  the  senses  of  le  Bourdon  loaded  wTith  the 
sweets  of  many  a  wide  glade  of  his  favorite  white  clover.  Of 
course,  he  had  placed  his  cabin  near  those  spots  where  the  in- 
sect he  sought  most  abounded  ;  and  a  fragrant  site  it  proved  to 
be,  in  favorable  conditions  of  the  atmosphere.  Ben  had  a  taste 
for  all  the  natural  advantages  of  his  abode,  and  was  standing  in 
enjoyment  of  its  placid  beauties,  when  some  one  touched  his 
elbow.  Turning,  quick  as  thought,  he  perceived  the  Chip- 
pewa at  his  side.  That  young  Indian  had  approached  with  the 
noiseless  tread  of  his  people,  and  was  now  anxious  to  hold  a 
private  communication  with  him. 

"  Pottawattamie  got  long  ear — come  fudder — "  said  Pigeons- 
wing;   "go  cook-house — t'ink  we  want  breakfast." 

Ben  did  as  desired ;  and  the  two  were  soon  side  by  side  at 
the  spring,  in  the  outlet  of  which  they  made  their  ablutions — 
the  redskin  being  totally  without  paint.  When  this  agreeable 
office  was  performed,  each  felt  in  better  condition  for  a  confer- 
ence* 

"Elkfoot  got  belt  from  Canada  fadder,"  commenced  the 
Chippewa,  with  a  sententious  allusion  to  the  British  propensity 
to  keep  the  savages  in  pay.  "Know  he  got  him — know  he 
keep  him." 

"And  you,  Pigeonswing— by  your  manner  of  talking  I  had 
set  you  down  for  a  king's  Injin,  too." 

"  Talk  so — no  feel  bit  so.     My  heart  Yankee." 

"  And  have  you  not  had  a  belt  of  wampum  sent  you,  as  well 
as  the  rest  of  them  ?" 

"  Dat  true — got  him — don't  keep  him." 

"  What !  did  you  dare  to  send  it  back  ?" 

"An't  fool,  dough  young.  Keep  him;  no  keep  him. 
Keep  him  for  Canada  fadder;  no  keep  him  for  Chippewa 
brave." 


44  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

"  What  have  you  then  done  with  your  belt?" 

'  i  Bury  him  where  nobody  find  him  dis  war.  No — Waub- 
kenewh  no  hole  in  heart  to  let  king  in." 

Pigeonswing,  as  this  young  Indian  was  commonly  called  in 
his  tribe,  in  consequence  of  the  rapidity  of  his  movement, 
when  employed  as  a  runner,  had  a  much  more  respectable  name, 
and  one  that  he  had  fairly  earned  in  some  of  the  forays  of  his 
people,  but  which  the  commonalty  had  just  the  same  indisposi- 
tion to  use,  as  the  French  have  to  call  Marshal  Soult  the  Due 
de  Dalmatie.  The  last  may  be  the  most  honorable  title,  but  it 
is  not  that  by  which  he  is  the  best  known  to  his  countrymen. 
Waub-ke-newh  was  an  appellation,  notwithstanding,  of  which 
the  young  Chippewa  was  justly  proud ;  and  he  often  asserted 
his  right  to  use  it,  as  sternly  as  the  old  hero  of  Toulouse  assert- 
ed his  right  to  his  duchy,  when  the  Austrians  wished  to  style 
him  "le  Marechal  Due  Soult." 

"And  you  are  friendly  to  the  Yankees,  and  an  enemy  to  the 
red-coats  ?" 

Waubkenewh  grasped  the  hand  of  le  Bourdon,  and  squeezed 
it  firmly.     Then  he  said,  warily — 

"  Take  care — -Elkfoot  friend  of  Blackbird;  like  to  look  at 
Canada  belt.  Got  medal  of  king,  too.  Have  Yankee  scalp, 
bye'm  by.     Take  care — must  speak  low,  when  Elkfoot  near." 

"  I  begin  to  understand  you,  Chippewa  ;  you  wish  me  to  be- 
lieve that  you  are  a  friend  to  America,  and  that  the  Pottawat- 
tamie is  not.  If  this  be  so,  why  have  you  held  the  speech  that 
you  did  last  night,  and  seemed  to  be  on  a  war-path  against  my 
countrymen  V 

"Dat  good  way,  eh?  Elkfoot  den  t'ink  me  his  friend — dat 
very  good  in  war-time." 

"  But  is  it  true,  or  false,  that  Mackinaw  is  taken  by  the 
British  ?" 

"  Dat,  true  too — gone,  and  warrior  all  prisoner.  Plenty 
Winnebago,  plenty  Pottawattamie,  plenty  Ottowa,  plenty  red- 
skin, dere." 

"  And  the  Chippewas?" 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  45 

"Some  Ojebway,  too" — answered  Pigeonswing,  after  a  re- 
luctant pause.  "  Can't  all  go  on  same  path,  this  war.  Hatchets, 
somehow,  got  two  handle — one  strike  Yankee  ;  one  strike  King 
George." 

"  But  what  is  your  business  here,  and  where  are  you  now 
going,  if  you  are  friendly  to  the  Americans.  I  make  no  secret 
of  my  feelings — I  am  for  my  own  people,  and  I  wish  proof  that 
you  are  a  friend,  and  not  an  enemy." 

"Too  many  question,  one  time,"  returned  the  Chippewa,  a 
little  distastefully.  "  No  good  have  so  long  tongue.  Ask  one 
question,  answer  him — ask  anoder,  answer  him,  too." 

"  Well,  then,  what  is  your  business,  here  W. 

"Go  to  Chicago,  for  gen'ral." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  bear  a  message  from  some  Ameri- 
can general  to  the  commandant  at  Chicago  ?" 

"Just  so — dat  my  business.  Guess  him,  right  off;"  he,  he, 
he. 

It  is  so  seldom  that  an  Indian  laughs  that  the  bee-hunter 
was  startled. 

"Where  is  the  general  who  has  sent  you  on  this  errand?" 
he  demanded. 

"He  at  Detroit — got  whole  army  dere — warrior  plenty  as 
oak  in  opening." 

All  this  was  news  to  the  bee-hunter,  and  it  caused  him  to 
muse  a  moment,  ere  he  proceeded. 

"What  is  the  name  of  the  American  general  who  has  sent 
you  on  this  path  V  he  then  demanded. 

"Hell,"  answered  the  Ojebway,  quietly. 

"  Hell !  You  mean  to  give  his  Indian  title,  I  suppose,  to 
show  that  he  will  prove  dangerous  to  the  wicked.  But  how  is 
he  called  in  our  own  tongue  V 

"Hell — dat  he  name — good  name  for  so'ger,  eh ?" 

"  I  believe  I  understand  you,  Chippewa — Hull  is  the  name 
of  the  governor  of  the  territory,  and  you  must  lia\e  mistaken 
the  sound — is  it  not  so  I" 

"Hull — Hell — don't  know — just. same — one  good  as  t'other." 


4(5  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

M  Yes,  one  will  do  as  well  as  the  other,  if  a  body  only  under 
stands  you.     So  Governor  Hull  has  sent  you  here  VI 

"  No  gubbernor- — general,  tell  you.  Got  big  arm j — plenty 
warrior — eat  Breesh  up  !" 

"Now,  Chippewa,  answer  me  one  thing  to  my  likin',  or  I 
shall  set  you  down  as  a  man  with  a  forked  tongue,  though  you 
do  call  yourself  a  friend  of  the  Yankees.  If  you  have  been 
sent  from  Detroit  to  Chicago,  why  are  you  so  far  north  as 
this  ?  Why  are  you  here,  on  the  banks  of  the  Kalamazoo, 
when  your  path  ought  to  lead  you  more  toward  the  St.  Jo- 
seph's ?" 

"Been  to  Mackinaw.  Gen'ral  say,  first  go  to  Mackinaw  and 
see  wid  own  eye  how  garrison  do — den  go  to  Chicago,  and  tell 
warrior  dere  what  happen,  and  how  he  best  manage.  Undcr- 
stan'  dat,  Bourdon  J" 

"  Ay,  it  all  sounds  well  enough,  I  will  acknowledge.  Y^ou 
have  been  to  Mackinaw  to  look  about  you,  there,  and  having 
seen  things  with  your  own  eyes,  have  started  for  Chicago  to 
give  your  knowledge  to  the  commandant  at  that  place.  Now, 
redskin,  have  you  any  proof  of  what  you  say  ?" 

For  some  reason  that  the  bee-hunter  could  not  yet  fathom, 
the  Chippewa  was  particularly  anxious  either  to  obtain  his  con- 
fidence, or  to  deceive  him.  "Which  he  was  attempting,  was 
not  yet  quite  apparent ;  but  that  one  or  other  was  uppermost 
in  his  mind,  Ben  thought  was  beyond  dispute.  As  soon  as  the 
question  last  named  was  put,  however,  the  Indian  looked  cau- 
tiously around  him,  as  if  to  be  certain  there  were  no  spectators. 
Then  he  carefully  opened  his  tobacco-pouch,  and  extricated 
from  the  centre  of  the  cut  weed,  a  letter  that  was  rolled  into 
the  smallest  compass  to  admit  of  this  mode  of  concealment, 
and  which  was  encircled  by  a  thread.  The  last  removed,  the 
letter  was  unrolled,  and  its  superscription  exposed.  The  ad- 
dress was  to  "  Captain Heald,  U.  S.  Army,  commanding 

at  Chicago."  In  one  corner  were  the  words  "On  public  ser- 
vice, by  Pigeonswing."  All  this  was  submitted  to  the  bee- 
hunter,  who  read  it  with  his  own  eyes. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  47 

"Dat  good" — asked  the  Chippewa,  pointedly — "  dat  tell 
trnt'— -b'lieve  him  P 

Le  Bourdon  grasped  the  hand  of  the  Indian,  and  gave  it  a 
hearty  squeeze.  Then  he  said  frankly,  and  like  a  man  who  no 
longer  entertained  any  doubts — 

"  I  put  faith  in  all  you  say,  Chippewa.  That  is  an  officer's 
letter,  and  I  now  see  that  you  are  on  the  right  side.  You 
play'd  so  deep  a  game,  at  first,  how' sever,  that  I  didn't  know 
exactly  what  to  make  of  you.  Now,  as  for  the  Pottawattamie 
— do  you  set  him  down  as  friend  or  foe,  in  reality  ?" 

"  Enemy — take  your  scalp — take  my  scalp,  in  minute — only 
can't  catch  him.  He  got  belt  from  Montreal,  and  it  look  hand 
some  in  his  eye." 

"  Which  way  d'ye  think  he's  travelling?  As  I  understood 
you,  he  and  you  fell  into  the  same  path  within  a  mile  of  this 
very  spot.     Was  the  meeting  altogether  friendly  ?" 

"Yes;  friendly — but  ask  too  many  question — too  much 
squaw — ask  one  question,  den  stop  for  answer." 

"Very  true — I  will  remember  that  an  Indian  likes  to  do 
one  thing  at  a  time.  Which  way,  then,  do  you  think  he's 
travelling  ?" 

"  Don't  know — on'y  guess — guess  he  on  path  to  Blackbird." 

"  And  where  is  Blackbird,  and  what  is  he  about  ?" 

"Two  question,  dat!"  returned  the  Chippewa,  smiling,  and 
holding  up  two  of  his  fingers,  at  the  same  time,  by  way  of  re- 
buke. "  Blackbird  on  war-path ; — when  warrior  on  dat  path, 
he  take  scalp  if  can  get  him." 

"  But  where  is  his  enemy  ?  There  are  no  whites  in  this  part 
of  the  country,  but  here  and  there  a  trader,  or  a  trapper,  or  a 
bee-hunter,  or  a  voyageur" 

"  Take  his  scalp — all  scalp  good,  in  war  time.  An't  partic'- 
lar,  down  at  Montreal.     What  you  call  garrison  at  Chicago  ?" 

"  Blackbird,  you  then  think,  may  be  moving  upon  Chicago. 
In  that  case,  Chippewa,  you  should  outrun  this  Pottawattamie, 
and  reach  the  post  in  time  to  let  its  men  know  the  danger." 

"  Start,  as  soon  as  eat  breakfast.     Can't  go  straight,  nudder, 


48  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

or  Pottawattamie  see  print  of  moccasin.  Must  t'row  liim  off 
trail." 

"  Very  true  ;  but  I'll  engage  you're  cunning  enough  to  do 
that  twice  over,  should  it  be  necessary." 

Just  then  Gershom  Waring  came  out  of  the  cabin,  gaping 
like  a  hound,  and  stretching  his  arms,  as  if  fairly  wearied  with 
sleep.  At  the  sight  of  this  man  the  Indian  made  a  gesture  of 
caution,  saying,  however,  in  an  under  tone — 

"How  is  heart — Yankee  or  Breesh — love  Montreal,  eh? 
Pretty  good  scalp  !     Love  King  George,  eh  VI 

M I  rather  think  not,  but  am  not  certain.  He  is  a  poor  pale- 
face, however,  and  it's  of  no  great  account  how  he  stands.  His 
scalp  would  hardly  be  worth  the  taking,  whether  by  English  or 
American." 

"  Sell,  down  at  Montreal — better  look  out  for  Pottawattamie. 
Don't  like  that  Injin." 

"We'll  be  on  our  guard  against  him  ;  and  there  he  comes, 
looking  as  if  his  breakfast  would  be  welcome,  and  as  if  he  was 
already  thinking  of  a  start." 

Le  Bourdon  had  been  busy  with  his  pots,  during  the  whole 
time  this  discourse  was  going  on,  and  had  warmed  up  a  suffic- 
iency of  food  to  supply  the  wants  of  all  his  guests.  In  a  few 
minutes  each  was  busy  quietly  eating  his  morning's  meal,  Ger- 
shom having  taken  his  bitters  aside,  and,  as  he  fancied,  unob- 
served. This  was  not  so  much  owing  to  niggardliness,  as  to  a 
distrust  of  his  having  a  sufficient  supply  of  the  liquor,  that  long 
indulgence  had  made,  in  a  measure,  necessary  to  him,  to  last 
until  he  could  get  back  to  the  barrels  that  were  still  to  be  found 
in  his  cabin,  down  on  the  shore  of  the  lake. 

During  the  breakfast  little  was  said,  conversation  forming  no 
material  part  of  the  entertainment,  at  the  meals  of  any  but  the 
cultivated.  When  each  had  risen,  however,  and  by  certain 
preliminary  arrangements  it  was  obvious  that  the  two  Indians 
intended  to  depart,  the  Pottawattamie  advanced  to  le  Bourdon, 
and  thrust  out  a  hand. 

"Thankee" — he  said,  in  the  brief  way  in  which  he  clipped 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  49 

his  English — "good  supper — good  sleep — good  breakfast.  Now 
go.  Thankee — when  any  friend  come  to  Pottawattamie  village, 
good  wigwam  dere,  and  no  door." 

"  I  thank  you,  Elksfoot — and  should  you  pass  this  way,  ag'in, 
soon,  I  Lope  you'll  just  step  into  this  chiente  and  help  yourself 
if  I  should  happen  to  be  off  on  a  hunt.  Good  luck  to  you,  and 
a  happy  sight  of  home." 

The  Pottawattamie  then  turned  and  thrust  out  a  hand  to  each 
of  the  others,  who  met  his  offered  leave-taking  with  apparent 
friendship.  The  bee-hunter  observed  that  neither  of  the  In- 
dians said  any  thing  to  the  other  touching  the  path  he  was 
about  to  travel,  but  that  each  seemed  ready  to  pursue  his  own 
way  as  if  entirely  independent,  and  without  the  expectation  of 
having  a  companion. 

Elksfoot  left  the  spot  the  first.  After  completing  his  adieus, 
the  Pottawattamie  threw  his  rifle  into  the  hollow  of  his  arm, 
felt  at  his  belt,  as  if  to  settle  it  into  its  place,  made  some  little 
disposition  of  his  light  summer  covering,  and  moved  off  in  a 
south-westerly  direction,  passing  through  the  open  glades,  and 
almost  equally  unobstructed  groves,  as  steady  in  his  movements 
as  if  led  by  an  instinct. 

16  There  he  goes,  on  a  bee-line,"  said  le  Bourdon,  as  the 
straight  form  of  the  old  savage  disappeared  at  length,  behind  a 
thicket  of  trees.  '  \  On  a  bee-line  for  the  St.  Joseph's  river, 
where  he  will  shortly  be,  among  friends  and  neighbors,  I  do 
not  doubt.     What,  Chippewa  !  are  you  in  motion  too  ?" 

"Must  go,  now,"  returned  Pigeonswing,  in  a  friendly  way. 
"Bye'mby  come  back  and  eat  more  honey — bring  sweet  news, 
hope — no  Canada  here,"  placing  a  finger  on  his  heart — "all 
Yankee." 

"  God  be  with  you,  Chippewa — God  be  with  you.  We  shall 
have  a  stirring  summer  of  it,  and  I  expect  to  hear  of  your  name 
in  the  wars,  as  of  a  chief  who  knows  no  fear." 

Pigeonswing  waved  his  hand,  cast  a  glance,  half  friendly, 
half  contemptuously,  at  Whiskey  Centre,  and  glided  away. 
The  two  who  remained  standing  near  the  smouldering  fire  re- 
3 


50  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

marked,  that  the  direction  taken  by  the  Chippewa  was  toward 
the  lake,  and  nearly  at  right  angles  to  that  taken  by  the  Potta- 
wattamie. They  also  fancied  that  the  movement  of  the  former 
was  about  half  as  fast  again  as  that  of  the  latter.  In  less  than 
three  minutes  the  young  Indian  was  concealed  in  the  "  opcr- 
ings,"  though  he  had  to  cross  a  glade  of  considerable  width  in 
order  to  reach  them. 

The  bee-hunter  was  now  alone  with  the  only  one  of  his 
guests  who  was  of  the  color  and  race  to  which  he  himself  be- 
longed. Of  the  three,  he  was  the  visitor  he  least  respected ; 
but  the  dues  of  hospitality  are  usually  sacred  in  a  wilderness, 
and  among  savages,  so  that  he  could  do  nothing  to  get  rid  of 
him.  As  Gershom  manifested  no  intention  to  quit  the  place, 
le  Bourdon  set  about  the  business  of  the  hour,  with  as  much 
method  and  coolness  as  if  the  other  had  not  been  present. 
The  first  thing  was  to  bring  home  the  honey  discovered  on  the 
previous  day  ;  a  task  of  no  light  labor  ;  the  distance  it  was  to 
be  transported  being  so  considerable,  and  the  quantity  so  large. 
But  our  bee-hunter  was  not  without  the  means  of  accomplishing 
such  an  object,  and  he  now  busied  himself  in  getting  ready. 
As  Gershom  volunteered  his  assistance,  together  they  toiled  in 
apparent  amity  and  confidence. 

The  Kalamazoo  is  a  crooked  stream  ;  and  it  wound  from  the 
spot  where  le  Bourdon  had  built  his  cabin,  to  a  point  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  fallen  tree  in  which  the  bees  had  con- 
structed their  hive.  As  a  matter  of  course,  Ben  profited  by 
this  circumstance  to  carry  his  canoe  to  the  latter  place,  with  a 
view  to  render  it  serviceable  in  transporting  the  honey.  First 
securing  everything  in  and  around  the  chiente,  he  and  Gershom 
embarked,  taking  with  them  no  less  than  four  pieces  of  fire- 
arms ;  one  of  which  was,  to  use  the  language  of  the  west,  ?. 
double-barrelled  "  shot-gun."  Before  quitting  the  place,  how 
ever,  the  bee-hunter  went  to  a  large  kennel  made  of  logs,  and 
let  out  a  mastiff  of  great  power  and  size.  Between  this  dog  and 
himself  there  existed  the  best  possible  intelligence  ;  the  master 
having  paid  many  visits  to  the  prisoner  since  his  return,  feeding 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  51 

and  caressing  him.  Glad,  indeed,  was  this  fine  animal  to  be 
released,  bounding  back  and  forth,  and  leaping  about  le  Bour- 
don in  a  way  to  manifest  his  delight.  He  had  been  cared  for 
in  his  kennel,  and  well  cared  for,  too ;  but  there  is  no  substi- 
tute for  liberty,  whether  in  man  or  beast,  individuals  or  com- 
munities. 

When  all  was  ready,  le  Bourdon  and  Gershom  got  into  the 
canoe,  whither  the  former  now  called  his  dog,  using  the  name 
of  "  Hive,"  an  appellation  that  was  doubtless  derived  from  his 
own  pursuit.  As  soon  as  the  mastiff  leaped  into  the  canoe, 
Ben  shoved  off,  and  the  light  craft  was  pushed  up  the  stream 
by  himself  and  Gershom  without  much  difficulty,  and  with  con- 
siderable rapidity.  But  little  drift-wood  choked  the  channel ; 
and,  after  fifteen  minutes  of  moderate  labor,  the  two  men  came 
near  to  the  point  of  low  wooded  land,  in  which  the  bee-tree 
had  stood.  As  they  drew  nigh,  certain  signs  of  uneasiness  in 
the  dog  attracted  his  master's  attention,  and  he  pointed  them 
out  to  Gershom. 

"  There's  game  in  the  wind,"  answered  Whiskey  Centre,  who 
had  a  good  knowledge  of  most  of  the  craft  of  border  life,  not- 
withstanding his  ungovernable  propensity  to  drink,  and  who, 
by  nature,  was  both  shrewd  and  resolute.  "  I  shouldn't  won- 
der"— a  common  expression  of  his  class — "if  we  found  bears 
prowling  about  that  honey  !" 

"Such  things  have  happened  in  my  time,"  answered  the 
bee-hunter;  "  and  twice  in  my  experience  I've  been  driven  from 
the  field,  and  forced  to  let  the  devils  get  my  'arnin's." 

"That  was  when  you  had  no  comrade,  stranger"  returned 
Gershom,  raising  a  rifle,  and  carefully  examining  its  flint  and  its 
priming.  "  It  will  be  a  large  family  on  'em  that  drives  us  from 
that  tree  ;  for  my  mind  is  made  up  to  give  Doll  and  Blossom  a 
i'aste  of  the  sweets." 

If  this  was  said  imprudently,  as  respects  ownership  in  the 
prize,  it  was  said  heartily,  so  far  as  spirit  and  determination 
were  concerned.  It  proved  that  Whiskey  Centre  had  points 
about  him  which,  if  not  absolutely  redeeming,  served  in  some 


52  T  TI  E      OAK      OPENINGS. 

measure  to  lessen  the  disgust  which  one  might  otherwise  have 
felt  for  his  character.  The  bee-hunter  knew  that  there  was  a 
species  of  hardihood  that  belonged  to  border  men  as  the  fruits 
of  their  habits,  and,  apparently,  he  had  all  necessary  confidence 
in  Gershom's  disposition  to  sustain  him,  should  there  be  occa- 
sion for  a  conflict  with  his  old  enemies. 

The  first  measure  of  the  bee-hunter,  after  landing  and  secur- 
ing his  boat,  was  to  quiet  Hive.  The  animal  being  under 
excellent  command,  this  was  soon  done ;  the  mastiff  maintain- 
ing the  position  assigned  him,  in  the  rear,  though  evidently 
impatient  to  be  let  loose.  Had  not  le  Bourdon  known  the  pre- 
cise position  of  the  fallen  tree,  and  through  that  the  probable 
position  of  his  enemies,  he  would  have  placed  the  mastiff  in  ad- 
vance, as  a  pioneer  or  scout ;  but  he  deemed  it  necessary,  under 
the  actual  circumstances,  to  hold  him  as  a  reserve,  or  a  force  to 
be  directed  whither  occasion  might  require.  With  this  arrange- 
ment, then,  le  Bourdon  and  Whiskey  Centre  advanced,  side  by 
side,  each  carrying  two  pieces,  from  the  margin  of  the  river 
toward  the  open  land  that  commanded  a  view  of  the  tree.  On 
reaching  the  desired  point,  a  halt  was  called,  in  order  to  recon- 
noitre. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  the  bee-elm  had  stood  on  the 
edge  of  a  dense  thicket,  or  swamp,  in  which  the  trees  grew  to 
a  size  several  times  exceeding  those  of  the  oaks  in  the  openings ; 
and  le  Bourdon  had  caused  it  to  fall  upon  the  open  ground,  in 
order  to  work  at  the  honey  with  greater  ease  to  himself.  Con- 
sequently, the  fragments  lay  in  full  view  of  the  spot  where  the 
halt  was  made.  A  little  to  Gershom's  surprise,  Ben  now  pro- 
duced his  spy-glass,  which  he  levelled  with  much  earnestness 
toward  the  tree.  The  bee-hunter,  however,  well  knew  his 
business,  and  was  examining  into  the  state  of  the  insects  whom 
he  had  so  violently  invaded  the  night  before.  The  air  was 
filled  with  them,  flying  above  and  around  the  tree ;  a  perfect 
cloud  of  the  little  creatures  hovering  directly  over  the  hole,  as 
if  to  guard  its  treasure. 

"  Waal,"  said  Gershom,  in  his  drawling  way,  when  le  Bour- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  53 

don  had  taken  a  long  look  with  the  glass,  UI  don't  see  much 
use  in  spy-glassin'  in  that  fashion.  ?  Spy-glassin'  may  do  out  on 
the  lake,  if  a  body  has  only  the  tools  to  do  it  with  ;  but  here, 
in  the  openin's,  natur's  eyes  is  about  as  good  as  them  a  body 
buys  in  the  stores." 

"  Take  a  look  at  them  bees,  and  see  what  a  fret  they're  in,  ' 
returned  Ben,  handing  the  glass  to  his  companion.  "  As  long 
as  T've  been  in  the  business,  I've  never  seen  a  colony  in  such  a 
fever.  Commonly,  a  few  hours  after  the  bees  find  that  their 
tree  is  down,  and  their  plans  broken  into,  they  give  it  up,  and 
swarm  ;  looking  for  a  new  hive,  and  setting  about  the  making 
more  food  for  the  next  winter ;  but,  here  are  all  the  bees  yet, 
buzzing  above  the  hole,  as  if  they  meant  to  hold  out  for  a 
siege." 

"  There's  an  onaccountable  grist  on  'em" — Gershom  was 
never  very  particular  in  his  figures  of  speech,  usually  terming 
any  thing  in  quantities  a  "  grist;"  and  meaning  in  the  present 
instance  by  "  onaccountable,"  a  number  not  to  be  counted — 
"  an  onaccountable  grist  on  'em,  I  can  tell  you,  and  if  you 
mean  to  charge  upon  sich  enemies,  you  must  look  out  for  some- 
body besides  Whiskey  Centre  for  your  van-guard.  What  in 
natur'  has  got  into  the  critters !  They  can't  expect  to  set  that 
tree  on  its  legs  ag'in  !" 

"Do  you  see  a  flight  of  them  just  in  the  edge  of  the  forest 
— here,  more  to  the  southward  ?"  demanded  le  Bourdon. 

"  Sure  enough  !  There  is  a  lot  on  'em  there,  too,  and  they 
seem  to  be  comin'  and  goin'  to  the  tree,  like  folks" — Gershom 
tvould  put  his  noun  of  multitude  into  the  plural,  Nova-Anglice 
— "  comin'  and  goin'  like  folks  carryin'  water  to  a  fire.  A 
body  would  think,  by  the  stir  among  'em,  them  critters'  barrel 
-  was  empty  !" 

"  The  bears  are  there,"  coolly  returned  the  bee-hunter ;  "  I've 
seen  such  movements  before,  and  know  how  to  account  for 
them.  The  bears  are  in  the  thicket,  but  don't  like  to  come  out 
in  the  face  of  such  a  colony.  I  have  heard  of  bears  being 
chased  miles  by  bees,  when  their  anger  was  up  !" 


54  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"  Mortality  !  They  have  a  good  deal  of  dander  (dandruff) 
for  sich  little  vipers!  But  what  are  zve  to  do,  Bourdon?  for 
Doll  and  Blossom  must  taste  that  honey  !  Half's  mine,  you 
know,  and  I  don't  like  to  give  it  up." 

The  bee-hunter  smiled  at  the  coolness  with  which  Gershom 
assigned  to  himself  so  large  a  portion  of  his  property  ;  though 
he  did  not  think  it  worth  his  while,  just  then,  to  "  demur  to 
his  declaration,"  as  the  lawyers  might  have  it.  There  was  a 
sort  of  border  rule,  which  gave  all  present  equal  shares  in  any 
forest  captures  ;  just  as  vessels  in  sight  come  in  for  prize-money, 
taken  in  time  of  war  by  public  cruisers.  At  any  rate,  the 
honey  of  a  single  tree  wras  not  of  sufficient  value  to  induce  a 
serious  quarrel  about  it.  If  there  should  be  any  extra  trouble 
or  danger  in  securing  the  present  prize,  every  craft  in  view 
might,  fairly  enough,  come  in  for  its  share. 

"Doll  shall  not  be  forgotten,  if  we  can  only  house  our 
honey,"  answered  the  bee-hunter;  "  nor  Blossom,  neither. 
I've  a  fancy,  already,  for  that  blossom  of  the  wilderness,  and 
shall  do  all  I  can  to  make  myself  agreeable  to  her.  A  man 
cannot  approach  a  maiden  with  any  thing  sweeter  than  honey." 

"  Some  gals  like  sugar' d  words  better;  but,  let  me  tell  you 
one  thing,  stranger — " 

"  You  have  eaten  bread  and  salt  with  me,  "Whiskey,  and  both 
are  scarce  articles  in  a  wilderness ;  and  you've  slept  under  my 
roof:  is  it  not  almost  time  to  call  me  something  else  than 
stranger  IP 

"  Well,  Bourdon,  if  you  prefer  that  name  ;  though  stranger 
is  a  name  I  like,  it  has  sich  an  up  and  off  sound  to  it.  When 
a  man  calls  all  he  sees  strangers,  it's  a  sign  he  don't  let  the 
grass  grow  in  the  road  for  want  of  movin' ;  and  a  movin'  man 
for  me,  any  day,  before  your  stationaries.  I  was  born  on  the 
sea-shore,  in  the  Bay  State ;  and  here  I  am,  up  among  the 
fresh-water  lakes,  as  much  nat'ralized  as  any  muskelunge  that 
was  ever  cotch'd  in  Huron,  or  about  Mackinaw.  If  I  can  believe 
my  eyes,  Bourdon,  there  is  the  muzzle  of  a  bear  to  be  seen,  jist 
under  that  heavy  hemlock — here,  where  the  bees  seem  thickest !" 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  55 

"  No  doubt  in  the  world,"  answered  le  Bourdon,  coolly ; 
though  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to  look  to  the  priming  of 
each  of  his  pieces,  as  if  he  expected  there  would  soon  be  occa- 
sion to  use  them.  "  But  what  was  that  you  were  about  to  say 
concemin'  Blossom  ?  It  would  not  be  civil  to  the  young  woman 
to  overlook  her,  on  account  of  a  bear  or  two." 

"You  take  it  easy,  stra?igev — Bourdon,  I  should  say — you 
lake  it  easy!  What  I  was  about  to  say  was  this:  that  the 
whill  lake  country,  and  that's  a  wide  stretch  to  foot  it  over,  I 
know ;  but,  big  as  it  is,  the  whull  lake  country  don't  contain 
Blossom's  equal.  I'm  her  brother,  and  perhaps  ought  to  be  a 
little  modest  in  sich  matters  ;  but  I  an't  a  bit,  and  let  out  jist 
what  I  think.  Blossom's  a  di'mond,  if  there  be  di'monds  on 
'arth." 

"  And  yonder  is  a  bear,  if  there  be  bears  on  earth  !"  exclaim- 
ed le  Bourdon,  who  was  not  a  little  amused  with  Gershom's 
account  of  his  family,  but  who  saw  that  the  moment  was  now 
arrived  when  it  would  be  necessary  to  substitute  deeds  for 
words.  "  There  they  come,  in  a  drove,  and  they  seem  in  ear- 
nest. 

This  was  true  enough.  No  less  than  eight  bears,  half  of 
which,  however,  were  quite  young,  came  tumbling  over  the  logs, 
and  bounding  up  toward  the  fallen  tree,  as  if  charging  the 
citadel  of  the  bees  by  preconcert.  Their  appearance  was  the 
signal  for  a  general  rally  of  the  insects,  and  by  the  time  the 
foremost  of  the  clumsy  animals  had  reached  the  tree,  the  air 
above  and  around  him  was  absolutely  darkened  by  the  cloud 
of  bees  that  was  collected  to  defend  their  treasures.  Bruin 
trusted  too  much  to  the  thickness  of  his  hide  and  to  the  de- 
fences with  which  he  was  provided  by  nature,  besides  being  too 
much  incited  by  the  love  of  honey,  to  regard  the  little  heroes, 
but  thrust  his  nose  in  at  the  hole,  doubtless  hoping  to  plunge  it 
at  once  into  the  midst  of  a  mass  of  the  sweets.  A  growl,  a 
start  backward,  and  a  nourishing  of  the  fore-paws,  with  sundry 
bites  in  the  air,  at  once  announced  that  he  had  met  with  greater 
resistance  than  he  had  anticipated.     In  a  minute,  all  the  bears 


56  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

were  on  their  hind-legs,  beating  the  air  with  their  fore-paws, 
and  nipping  right  and  left  with  their  jaws,  in  vigorous  combat 
with  their  almost  invisible  foes.  Instinct  supplied  the  place  of 
science,  and  spite  of  the  hides  and  the  long  hair  that  covered 
them,  the  bees  found  the  means  of  darting  their  stings  into  un- 
protected places,  until  the  quadrupeds  were  fairly  driven  to 
rolling  about  on  the  grass  in  order  to  crush  their  assailants. 
This  last  process  had  some  effect,  a  great  many  bees  being  de- 
stroyed by  the  energetic  rollings  and  tumblings  of  the  bears ; 
but,  as  in  the  tide  of  battle,  the  places  of  those  who  fell  were 
immediately  supplied  by  fresh  assailants,  until  numbers  seemed 
likely  to  prevail  over  power,  if  not  over  discipline.  At  this 
critical  instant,  when  the  bears  seemed  fatigued  with  their 
nearly  frantic  saltations,  and  violent  blows  upon  nothing,  le 
Bourdon  deemed  it  wise  to  bring  his  forces  into  the  combat. 
Gershom  having  been  apprised  of  the  plan,  both  fired  at  the 
same  instant.  Each  ball  took  effect ;  one  killing  the  largest  of 
all  the  bears,  dead  on  the  spot,  while  the  other  inflicted  a 
grievous  wound  on  a  second.  This  success  was  immediately 
followed  by  a  second  discharge,  wounding  two  more  of  the 
enemy,  while  Ben  held  the  second  barrel  of  his  "  shot-gun"  in 
reserve.  While  the  hurt  animals  were  hobbling  off,  the  men 
reloaded  their  pieces  ;  and  by  the  time  the  last  were  ready  to 
advance  on  the  enemy,  the  ground  was  cleared  of  bears  and 
bees  alike,  only  two  of  the  former  remaining,  of  which  one  was 
already  dead  and  the  other  dying.  As  for  the  bees,  they  fol- 
lowed their  retreating  enemies  in  a  body,  making  a  mistake 
that  sometimes  happens  to  still  more  intelligent  beings ;  that  of 
attributing  to  themselves,  and  their  own  prowess,  a  success  that 
had  been  gained  by  others. 

The  bee-hunter  and  his  friend  now  set  themselves  at  work  to 
provide  a  reception  for  the  insects,  the  return  of  which  might 
shortly  be  expected.  The  former  lighted  a  fire,  being  always 
provided  with  the  means,  while  Gershom  brought  dry  wood. 
In  less  than  five  minutes  a  bright  blaze  was  gleaming  upward  ; 
and  when  the  bees  returned,  as  most  of  them  soon  did,  they 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


57 


found  this  new  enemy  intrenched,  as  it  might  be,  behind 
walls  of  flame.  Thousands  of  the  little  creatures  perished  by 
means  of  this  new  invention  of  man,  and  the  rest  soon  after 
were  led  away  by  their  chiefs  to  seek  some  new  deposit  for  the 
fruits  of  their  industry. 


-»    /■■■■  -'--^Vi  I  ft 


58  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

"  The  sad  butterfly, 
Waving  his  lackered  wings,  darts  quickly  on, 
And,  by  his  free  flight,  counsels  us  to  speed 
For  better  lodgings,  and  a  scene  more  sweet, 
Than  these  dear  borders  offer  us  to-night." 

Simms. 

It  was  noon  before  Ben  and  Gershom  dared  to  commence 
the  process  of  cutting  and  splitting  the  tree,  in  order  to  obtain 
the  honey.  Until  then,  the  bees  lingered  around  their  fallen 
hive,  and  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to  venture  beyond  the 
smoke  and  heat,  in  order  to  accomplish  the  task.  It  is  true, 
le  Bourdon  possessed  several  secrets,  of  more  or  less  virtue,  to 
drive  off  the  bees  when  disposed  to  assault  him,  but  no  one 
that  was  as  certain  as  a  good  fire,  backed  by  a  dense  column 
of  vapor.  Various  plants  are  thought  to  be  so  offensive  to  the 
insects,  that  they  avoid  even  their  odor ;  and  the  bee-hunter 
had  faith  in  one  or  two  of  them ;  but  none  of  the  right  sort 
happened  now  to  be  near,  and  he  was  obliged  to  trust,  first  to 
a  powerful  heat,  and  next  to  the  vapor  of  damp  wood. 

As  there  were  axes,  and  wedges,  and  a  beetle  in  the  canoe, 
and  Gershom  was  as  expert  with  these  implements  as  a  master 
of  fencing  is  with  his  foil,  to  say  nothing  of  the  skill  of  le 
Bourdon,  the  tree  was  soon  laid  open,  and  its  ample  stores  of 
sweets  exposed.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  the  honey  was 
deposited  in  kegs,  the  kegs  were  transferred  to  the  canoe,  and 
the  whole  deposited  in  the  chiente.  The  day  had  been  one  of 
toil,  and  when  our  two  bordermen  sat  down  near  the  spring, 
to  take  their  evening  meal,  each  felt  glad  that  his  work  was 
done. 

"I  believe  this  must  be  the  last  hive  I  line,  this  summer," 
said  le  Bourdon,  while   eating  his'  supper.      "  My  luck   has 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  59 

been  good  so  far,  but  in  troublesome  times  one  had  better  not 
be  too  far  from  home.  I  am  surprised,  Waring,  that  you 
have  ventured  so  far  from  your  family,  while  the  tidings  arc  so 
gloomy."      m 

"  That's  partly  because  you  don't  know  'me,  and  partly  be- 
cause you  don't  know  Dolly.  As  for  leaving  hum,  with  any 
body  to  kear  for  it,  I  should  like  to  know  who  is  more  to  the 
purpose  than  Dolly  Waring  ?  I  haven't  no  idee  that  even  bees 
would  dare  get  upon  her  !  If  they  did,  they'd  soon  get  the 
worst  on't.  Her  tongue  is  all-powerful,  to  say  nawthin'  of  her 
arms  ;  and  "if  the  so'gers  can  only  handle  their  muskets  as  she 
can  handle  a  broom,  there  is  no  need  of  new  regiments  to  carry 
on  this  war." 

Now,  nothing  could  be  more  false  than  this  character  ;  but  a 
drunkard  has  little  regard  to  what  he  says. 

"  I  am  glad  your  garrison  is  so  strong,"  answered  the  bee- 
hunter,  thoughtfully  ;  "  but  mine  is  too  weak  to  stay  any  long- 
er, out  here  in  the  openings.  Whiskey  Centre,  I  intend  to 
break  up,  and  return  to  the  settlement,  before  the  redskins 
break  loose  in  earnest.  If  you  will  stay,  and  lend  me  a  hand 
to  embark  the  honey  and  stores,  and  help  to  carry  the  canoe 
down  the  river,  you  shall  be  well  paid  for  your  trouble." 

"  Waal,  I'd  about  as  lief  do  that,  as  do  any  thing  else.  Good 
jobs  is  scarce,  out  here  in  the  wilderness,  and  when  a  body 
lights  of  one,  he  ought  to  profit  by  it.  I  come  up  here  think- 
in'  to  meet  you,  for  I  heer'n  tell  from  a  voyager  that  you  was 
a-beeing  it,  out  in  the  openin's,  and  there's  nawthin'  in  natur' 
that  Dolly  takes  to  with  a  greater  relish  than  good  wild  honey. 
'  Try  whiskey,'  I've  told  her  a  thousand  times,  *  and  you'll  soon 
get  to  like  that  better  than  all  the  rest  of  creation  ;'  but  not  a 
drop  could  I  ever  get  her,  or  Blossom,  to  swallow.  It's  true, 
that  leaves  so  much  the  more  for  me ;  but  I'm  a  companion 
able  crittur',  and  don't  think  I've  drunk  as  much  as  I  want,  un  - 
less  I  take  it  society-like.  That's  one  reason  I've  taken  so 
mightily  to  you,  Bourdon  ;  you're  not  much  at  a  pull,  but  you 
an't  downright  afeared  of  a  jug,  neither." 


GO  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

The  bee-hunter  was  glad  to  hear  that  all  the  family  had  not 
this  man's  vice,  for  he  now  plainly  foresaw  that  the  accidents 
of  his  position  must  bring  him  and  these  strangers  much  in 
contact,  for  some  weeks,  at  least.  Le  Bourdon,  #though  not 
absolutely  "  afraid  of  a  jug,"  as  Whiskey  Centre  had  expressed 
it,  was  decidedly  a  temperate  man  ;  drinking  but  seldom,  and 
never  to  excess.  He  too  well  knew  the  hazards  by  which  he 
was  surrounded,  to  indulge  in  this  way,  even  had  he  the  taste 
for  it ;  but  he  had  no  taste  that  way,  one  small  jug  of  brandy 
forming  his  supply  for  a  whole  season.  In  these  days  of  exag- 
geration in  all  things,  exaggeration  in  politics,  in  religion,  in  £ 
temperance,  in  virtue,  and  even  in  education,  by  putting  "new 
wine  into  old  bottles,"  that  one  little  jug  might  have  sufficed  to 
give  him  a  bad  name ;  but  five-and-thirty  years  ago  men  had 
more  real  independence  than  they  now  possess,  and  were  not  as 
much  afraid  of  that  croquemitaine,  public  opinion,  as  they  are 
to-day.  To  be  sure,  it  was  little  to  le  Bourdon's  taste  to  make 
a  companion  of  such  a  person  as  Whiskey  Centre  ;  but  there 
was  no  choice.  The  man  was  an  utter  stranger  to  him  ;  and 
the  only  means  he  possessed  of  making  sure  that  he  did  not 
carry  off  the  property  that  lay  so  much  at  his  mercy,  was  by 
keeping  near  him.  With  many  men,  the  bee-hunter  would 
have  been  uneasy  at  being  compelled  to  remain  alone  with  them 
in  the  woods  ;  for  cases  in  which  one  had  murdered  another,  in 
order  to  get  possession  of  the  goods,  in  these  remote  regions, 
were  talked  of,  among  the  other  rumors  of  the  borders  ;  but 
Gershom  had  that  in  his  air  and  manner  that  rendered  Ben 
confident  his  delinquencies,  at  the  most,  would  scarcely  reach 
bloodshed.  Pilfer  he  might ;  but  murder  was  a  crime  which 
he  did  not  appear  at  all  likely  to  commit. 

After  supping  in  company,  our  two  adventurers  secured 
every  thing ;  and,  retiring  to  the  chiente,  they  went  to  sleep. 
No  material  disturbance  occurred,  but  the  night  passed  in  tran- 
quillity ;  the  bee-hunter  merely  experiencing  some  slight  inter- 
ruption to  his  slumbers,  from  the  unusual  circumstance  of  having 
a  companion.     One  as  long  accustomed  to  be  alone  as  himself, 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  61 

would  naturally  submit  to  some  such  sensation,  our  habits 
getting  so  completely  the  mastery,  as  often  to  supplant  even 
nature. 

The  following  morning  the  bee-hunter  commenced  his  prep- 
arations for  a  change  of  residence.  Had  he  not  been  discov- 
ered, it  is  probable  that  the  news  received  from  the  Chippewa 
would  not  have  induced  him  to  abandon  his  present  position, 
so  early  in  the  season ;  but  he  thought  the  risk  of  remaining 
was  too  great,  under  all  the  circumstances.  The  Pottawatta- 
mie, in  particular,  was  a  subject  of  great  distrust  to  him,  and 
he  believed  it  highly  possible  some  of  that  old  chiefs  tribe 
might  be  after  his  scalp  ere  many  suns  had  risen.  Gershom 
acquiesced  in  these  opinions,  and,  as  soon  as  his  brain  was  less 
under  the  influence  of  liquor  than  was  common  with  him,  he 
appeared  to  be  quite  happy  in  having  it  in  his  power  to  form  a 
species  of  alliance,  offensive  and  defensive,  with  a  man  of  his 
own  color  and  origin.  Great  harmony  now  prevailed  between 
the  two,  Gershom  improving  vastly  in  all  the  better  qualities, 
the  instant  his  intellect  and  feelings  got  to  be  a  little  released 
from  the  thraldom  of  the  jug.  His  own  immediate  store  of 
whiskey  was  quite  exhausted,  and  le  Bourdon  kept  the  place  in 
which  his  own  small  stock  of  brandy  was  secured  a  profound 
secret.  These  glimmerings  of  returning  intellect,  and  of  reviv- 
ing principles,  are  by  no  means  unusual  with  the  sot,  thus 
proving  that  "  so  long  as  there  is  life,  there  is  hope,"  for  the 
moral,  as  well  as  for  the  physical  being.  What  was  a  little  re- 
markable, Gershom  grew  less  vulgar,  even  in  his  dialect,  as  he 
grew  more  sober,  showing  that  in  all  respects  he  was  becoming 
a  greatly  improved  person. 

The  men  were  several  hours  in  loading  the  canoe,  not  only 
all  the  stores  and  ammunition,  but  all  the  honey  being  trans- 
ferred to  it.  The  bee-hunter  had  managed  to  conceal  his  mv 
of  brandy,  reduced  by  this  time  to  little  more  than  a  quart, 
within  an  empty  powder-keg,  into  which  he  had  crammed  a 
beaver-skin  or  two,  that  he  had  taken,  as  it  might  be  incident- 
ally, in  the  course  of  his  rambles.     At  length  every  thing  was 


62  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

removed  and  stowed  in  its  proper  place,  on  board  the  capacious 
canoe,  and  Gershom  expected  an  announcement  on  the  part  of 
Ben,  of  his  readiness  to  embark.  But  there  still  remained  one 
duty  to  perform.  The  bee-hunter  had  killed  a  buck  only  the 
day  before  the  opening  of  our  narrative,  and  shouldermg  a 
quarter,  he  had  left  the  remainder  of  the  animal  suspended 
from  the  branches  of  a  tree,  near  the  place  where  it  had  been 
shot  and  cleaned.  As  venison  might  be  needed  before  they 
could  reach  the  mouth  of  the  river,  Ben  deemed  it  advisable 
that  he  and  Gershom  should  go  and  bring  in  the  remainder  of 
the  carcass.  The  men  started  on  this  undertaking  accordingly, 
leaving  the  canoe  about  two  in  the  afternoon. 

The  distance  between  the  spot  where  the  deer  had  been 
killed,  and  the  chiente,  was  about  three  miles ;  which  wTas  the 
reason  why  the  bee-hunter  had  not  brought  home  the  entire 
animal  the  day  he  killed  it ;  the  American  woodsman  often 
carrying  his  game  great  distances  in  preference  to  leaving  it  any 
length  of  time  in  the  forest.  In  the  latter  case  there  is  always 
danger  from  beasts  of  prey,  which  are  drawn  from  afar  by  the 
scent  of  blood.  Le  Bourdon  thought  it  possible  they  might 
now  encounter  wolves ;  though  he  had  left  the  carcass  of  the 
deer  so  suspended  as  to  place  it  beyond  the  reach  of  most  of 
the  animals  of  the  wilderness.  Each  of  the  men,  however,  car- 
ried a  rifle  ;  and  Hive  was  allowed  to  accompany  them,  by  an 
act  of  grace  on  the  part  of  his  master. 

For  the  first  half-hour,  nothing  occurred  out  of  the  usual 
course  of  events.  The  bee-hunter  had  been  conversing  freely 
with  his  companion,  who,  he  rejoiced  to  find,  manifested  far 
more  common  sense,  not  to  say  good  sense,  than  he  had  pre- 
viously shown;  and  from  whom  he  was  deriving  information 
touching  the  number  of  vessels,  and  the  other  movements  on 
the  lakes,  that  he  fancied  might  be  of  use  to  himself  when  he 
started  for  Detroit.  While  thus  engaged,  and  when  distant 
only  a  hundred  rods  from  the  place  where  he  had  left  the  veni- 
son, le  Bourdon  was  suddenly  struck  with  the  movements  of 
the  dog.     Instead  of  doubling  on  his  own  tracks,  and  scenting 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  63 

right  and  left,  as  was  the  animal's  wont,  he  was  now  advancing 
cautiously,  with  his  head  low,  seemingly  feeling  his  way  with 
his  nose,  as  if  there  was  a  strong  taint  in  the  wind. 

"  Sartain  as  my  name  is  Gershom,"  exclaimed  Waring,  just 
after  he  and  Ben  had  come  to  a  halt,  in  order  to  look  around 
them — "  yonder  is  an  Injin  !  The  crittur'  is  seated  at  the  foot 
of  the  large  oak — hereaway,  more  to  the  right  of  the  dog, 
and  Hive  has  struck  his  scent.  The  fellow  is  asleep,  with  his 
rifle  across  his  lap,  and  can't  have  much  dread  of  wolves  or 
bears  !" 

"I  see  him,"  answered  le  Bourdon,  u  and  am  as  much  sur- 
prised as  grieved  to  find  him  there.  It  is  a  little  remarkable 
that  I  should  have  so  many  visitors,  just  at  this  time,  on  my 
hunting-ground,  when  I  never  had  any  at  all  before  yesterday. 
It  gives  a  body  an  uncomfortable  feeling,  Waring,  to  live  so 
much  in  a  crowd  !  Well,  well — I'm  about  to  move,  and  it  will 
matter  little  twenty-four  hours  hence. ' ' 

"The  chap's  a  Winnebago  by  his  paint,"  added  Gershom — 
44  but  let's  go  up  and  give  him  a  call." 

The  bee-hunter  assented  to  this  proposal,  remarking  as  they 
moved  forward,  that  he  did  not  think  the  stranger  of  the  tribe 
just  named  ;  though  he  admitted  that  the  use  of  paint  was  so 
general  and  loose  among  these  warriors,  as  to  render  it  difficult 
to  decide. 

"  The  crittur'  sleeps  soundly  !"  exclaimed  Gershom,  stopping 
within  ten  yards  of  the  Indian,  to  take  another  look  at  him. 

"  He'll  never  awake ;"  put  in  the  bee-hunter,  solemnly — 
"  the  man  is  dead.  See ;  there  is  blood  on  the  side  of  his  head, 
and  a  rifle-bullet  has  left  its  hole  there." 

Even  while  speaking,  the  bee-hunter  advanced,  and  raising  a 
sort  of  shawl,  that  once  had  been  used  as  an  ornament,  and 
which  had  last  been  thrown  carelessly  over  the  head  of  its  late 
owner,  he  exposed  the  well-known  features  of  Elksfoot,  the 
Pottawattamie,  who  had  left  them  little  more  than  twenty-four 
hours  before  !  The  warrior  had  been  shot  by  a  rifle-bullet 
directly  through  the  temple,  and  had  been  scalped.     The  pow 


04  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

dcr  had  been  taken  from  his  horn,  and  the  bullets  from  his 
pouch ;  but,  beyond  this,  he  had  not  been  plundered.  The 
body  was  carefully  placed  against  a  tree,  in  a  sitting  attitude, 
the  rifle  was  laid  across  its  legs,  and  there  it  had  been  left,  in 
the  centre  of  the  openings,  to  become  food  for  beasts  of  prey, 
and  to  have  its  bones  bleached  by  the  snows  and  the  rains  % 

The  bee-hunter  shuddered,  as  he  gazed  at  this  fearful  memo- 
rial of  the  violence,  against  which  even  a  wilderness  could  afford 
no  sufficient  protection.  That  Pigeonswing  had  slain  his  late 
fellow-guest,  le  Bourdon  had  no  doubt,  and  he  sickened  at  the 
thought.  Although  he  had  himself  dreaded  a  good  deal  from 
the  hostility  of  the  Pottawattamie,  he  could  have  wished  this 
deed  undone.  That  there  was  a  jealous  distrust  of  each  other 
between  the  two  Indians  had  been  sufficiently  apparent;  but 
the  bee-hunter  could  not  have  imagined  that  it  would  so  soon 
lead  to  results  as  terrible  as  these  ! 

After  examining  the  body,  and  noting  the  state  of  things 
around  it,  the  men  proceeded,  deeply  impressed  with  the  ne- 
cessity, not  only  of  their  speedy  removal,  but  of  their  standing 
by  each  other  in  that  remote  region,  now  that  violence  had  so 
clearly  broken  out  among  the  tribes.  The  bee-hunter  had  taken 
a  strong  liking  to  the  Chippewa,  and  he  regretted  so  much  the 
more  to  think  that  he  had  done  this  deed.  It  was  true,  that 
such  a  state  of  things  might  exist  as  to  justify  an  Indian  warrior, 
agreeably  to  his  own  notions,  in  taking  the  life  of  any  one  of  a 
hostile  tribe ;  but  le  Bourdon  wished  it  had  been  otherwise. 
A  man  of  gentle  and  peaceable  disposition  himself,  though  of 
a  profoundly  enthusiastic  temperament  in  his  own  peculiar  way, 
he  had  ever  avoided  those  scenes  of  disorder  and  bloodshed, 
which  are  of  so  frequent  occurrence  in  the  forest  and  on'the 
prairies  ;  and  this  was  actually  the  first  instance  in  which  he 
had  ever  beheld  a  human  body  that  had  fallen  by  human  hands. 
Gcrshom  had  seen  more  of  the  peculiar  life  of  the  frontiers  than 
his  companion,  in  consequence  of  having  lived  so  closely  in 
contact  with  the  " fire-water;"  but  even  lie  was  greatly  shocked 
with  the  suddenness  and  nature  of  the  Pottawattamie's  end. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  65 

No  attempt  was  made  to  bury  the  remains  of  Elksfoot,  inas- 
much as  our  adventurers  had  no  tools  fit  for  such  a  purpose, 
and  any  merely  superficial  interment  would  have  been  a  sort  of 
invitation  to  the  wolves  to  dig  the  body  up  again 

"  Let  him  lean  ag'in  the  tree,"  said  Waring,  as  they  moved 
on  toward  the  spot  where  the  carcass  of  the  deer  was  left,  "  and 
I'll  engage  nothin'  touches  him.  There's  that  about  the  face 
of  man,  Bourdon,  that  skears  the  beasts;  and  if  a  body  can 
only  muster  courage  to  stare  them  full  in  the  eye,  one  single 
human  can  drive  before  him  a  whull  pack  of  wolves." 

"I've  heard  as  much,"  returned  the  bee-hunter,  "  but  should 
not  like  to  be  the  '  human'  to  try  the  experiment.  That  the 
face  of  man  may  have  terrors  for  a  beast,  I  think  likely ;  but 
hunger  would  prove  more  than  a  match  for  such  fear.  Yonder 
is  our  venison,  Waring ;  safe  where  I  left  it." 

The  carcass  of  the  deer  was  divided,  and  each  man  shoulder- 
ing his  burden,  the  two  returned  to  the  river,  taking  care  to 
avoid  the  path  that  led  by  the  body  of  the  dead  Indian.  As 
both  labored  with  much  earnestness,  every  thing  was  soon  ready, 
and  the  canoe  speedily  left  the  shore.  The  Kalamazoo  is  not 
in  general  a  swift  and  turbulent  stream,  though  it  has  a  suffi- 
cient current  to  carry  away  its  waters  without  any  appearance 
of  sluggishness.  Of  course,  this  character  is  not  uniform, 
reaches  occurring  in  which  the  placid  water  is  barely  seen  to 
move ;  and  others,  again,  are  found,  in  which  something  like 
rapids,  and  even  falls,  appear.  But  on  the  whole,  and  more 
especially  in  the  part  of  the  stream  where  it  was,  the  canoe  had 
little  to  disturb  it,  as  it  glided  easily  down,  impelled  by  a  light 
stroke  of  the  paddle. 

The  bee-hunter  did  not  abandon  his  station  without  regret. 
He  had  chosen  a  most  agreeable  site  for  his  chiente,  consulting 
air,  shade,  water,  verdure,  and  groves,  as  well  as  the  chances 
of  obtaining  honey.  In  his  regular  pursuit  he  had  been  unus- 
ually fortunate  ;  and  the  little  pile  of  kegs  in  the  centre  of  his 
canoe  was  certainly  a  grateful  sight  to  his  eyes.  The  honey 
gathered  this  season,  moreover,  had  proved  to  be  of  an  unus- 


66  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

ually  delicious  flavor,  affording  the  promise  of  high  prices  and 
ready  sales.  Still,  the  bee-hunter  left  the  place  with  profound 
regret.  He  loved  his  calling ;  he  loved  solitude  to  a  morbid  de- 
gree, perhaps ;  and  he  loved  the  gentle  excitement  that  natu- 
rally attended  his  "  bee-lining,"  his  discoveries,  and  his  gains. 
Of  all  the  pursuits  that  are  more  or  less  dependent  on  the 
chances  of  the  hunt  and  the  field,  that  of  the  bee-hunter  is  of 
the  most  quiet  and  placid  enjoyment.  He  has  the  stirring  mo- 
tives of  uncertainty  and  doubt,  without  the  disturbing  qualities 
of  bustle  and  fatigue ;  and,  while  his  exercise  is  sufficient  for 
health,  and  for  the  pleasures  of  the  open  air,  it  is  seldom  of  a 
nature  to  weary  or  unnerve.  Then  the  study  of  the  little  animal 
that  is  to  be  watched,  and  if  the  reader  will,  plundered,  is  not 
without  a  charm  for  those  who  delight  in  looking  into  the 
wonderful  arcana  of  nature.  So  great  was  the  interest  that 
le  Bourdon  sometimes  felt  in  his  little  companions,  that,  on 
three  several  occasions  that  very  summer,  he  had  spared  hives 
after  having  found  them,  because  he  had  ascertained  that  they 
were  composed  of  young  bees,  and  had  not  yet  got  sufficiently 
colonized,  to  render  a  new  swarming  more  than  a  passing  acci- 
dent. With  all  this  kindness  of  feeling  toward  his  victims, 
Boden  had  nothing  of  the  transcendental  folly  that  usually  ac- 
companies the  sentimentalism  of  the  exaggerated,  but  his  feel- 
ings and  impulses  were  simple  and  direct,  though  so  often 
gentle  and  humane.  He  knew  that  the  bee,  like  all  the  other 
inferior  animals  of  creation,  was  placed  at  the  disposition  of 
man,  and  did  not  scruple  to  profit  by  the  power  thus  bene- 
ficently bestowed,  though  he  exercised  it  gently,  and  with  a 
proper  discrimination  between  its  use  and  its  abuse. 

Neither  of  the  men  toiled  much,  as  the  canoe  floated  down 
the  stream.  Very  slight  impulses  served  to  give  their  buo}^ant 
craft  a  reasonably  swift  motion,  and  the  current  itself  was  a  ma- 
terial assistant.  These  circumstances  gave  an  opportunity  for 
conversation,  as  the  canoe  glided  onward. 

"  A'ter  all,"  suddenly  exclaimed  Waring,  who  had  been  ex- 
amining the  pile  of  kegs  for  some  time  in  silence — "  a'ter  all, 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  67 

Bourdon,  your  trade  is  an  oncommon  one  !  A  most  extr'ornary 
and  oncommon  callin' !" 

"More  so,  think  you,  Gershom,  than  swallowing  whiskey, 
morning,  noon,  and  night?"  answered  the  bee-hunter,  with  a 
quiet  smile. 

"  Ay,  but  that's  not  a  reg'lar  callin' ;  only  a  likin' !  Now  a 
man  may  have  a  likin'  to  a  hundred  things  in  which  he  don't 
deal.  I  set  nothin'  down  as  a  business,  which  a  man  don't  live 
by." 

"  Perhaps  you're  right,  Waring.  More  die  by  whiskey  than 
live  by  whiskey." 

Whiskey  Centre  seemed  struck  with  this  remark,  which  wTas 
introduced  so  aptly,  and  was  uttered  so  quietly.  He  gazed 
earnestly  at  his  companion  for  near  a  minute,  ere  he  attempted 
to  resume  the  discourse. 

"Blossom  has  often  said  as  much  as  this,"  he  then  slowly 
rejoined  ;   "  and  even  Dolly  has  prophesized  the  same." 

The  bee-hunter  observed  that  an  impression  had  been  made, 
and  he  thought  it  wisest  to  let  the  reproof  already  administered 
produce  its  effect,  without  endeavoring  to  add  to  its  power. 
Waring  sat  with  his  chin  on  his  breast,  in  deep  thought,  while 
his  companion,  for  the  first  time  since  they  had  met,  examined 
the  features  and  aspect  of  the  man.  At  first  sight,  Whiskey 
Centre  certainly  offered  little  that  was  inviting ;  but  a  closer 
study  of  his  countenance  showed  that  he  had  the  remains  of  a 
singularly  handsome  man.  Vulgar  as  were  his  forms  of  speech, 
coarse  and  forbidding  as  his  face  had  become,  through  the  in- 
dulgence which  was  his  bane,  there  were  still  traces  of  this 
truth.  His  complexion  had  once  been  fair  almost  to  effemina- 
cy, his  cheeks  ruddy  with  health,  and  his  blue  eye  bright  and 
full  of  hope.  His  hair  was  light ;  and  all  these  peculiarities 
strongly  denoted  his  Saxon  origin.  It  was  not  so  much  Anglo- 
Saxon  as  Americo-Saxon,  that  was  to  be  seen  in  the  physical 
outlines  and  hues  of  this  nearly  self-destroyed  being.  The 
heaviness  of  feature,  the  ponderousness  of  limb  and  movement, 
had  all  long  disappeared  from  his  race,  most  probably  under 


68  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

tlie  influence  of  climate,  and  Ms  nose  was  prominent  and  grace- 
ful in  outline,  while  his  mouth  and  chin  might  have  passed  for 
having  been  under  the  chisel  of  some  distinguished  sculptor. 
It  was,  in  truth,  painful  to  examine  that  face,  steeped  as  it  was 
in  liquor,  and  fast  losing  the  impress  left  by  nature.  As  yet, 
the  body  retained  most  of  its  power,  the  enemy  having  insidi- 
ously entered  the  citadel,  rather  than  having  actually  subdued  it. 
The  bee-hunter  sighed  as  he  gazed  at  his  moody  companion,  and 
wondered  whether  Blossom  had  aught  of  this  marvellous  come- 
liness of  countenance,  without  its  revolting  accompaniments. 

All  that  afternoon,  and  the  whole  of  the  night  that  succeed- 
ed, did  the  canoe  float  downward  with  the  current.  Occasion- 
ally, some  slight  obstacle  to  its  progress  would  present  itself ; 
but,  on  the  whole,  its  advance  was  steady  and  certain.  As  the 
river  necessarily  followed  the  formation  of  the  land,  it  was 
tortuous  and  irregular  in  its  course,  though  its  general  direction 
was  toward  the  north-west,  or  west  a  little  northerly.  The 
river-bottoms  being  much  more  heavily  "  timbered" — to  use  a 
woodsman  term — than  the  higher  grounds,  there  was  little  of 
the  park-like  "  openings"  on  its  immediate  banks,  though 
distant  glimpses  were  had  of  many  a  glade  and  of  many  a 
charming  grove. 

As  the  canoe  moved  toward  its  point  of  destination,  the 
conversation  did  not  lag  between  the  bee-hunter  and  his  com- 
panion. Each  gave  the  other  a  sort  of  history  of  his  life  ;  for, 
now  that  the  jug  was  exhausted,  Gershom  could  talk  not  only 
rationally,  but  with  clearness  and  force.  Vulgar  he  was,  and, 
as  such,  uninviting  and  often  repulsive ;  still  his  early  educa- 
tion partook  of  that  peculiarity  of  New  England  which,  if  it  do 
not  make  her  children  absolutely  all  they  are  apt  to  believe 
themselves  to  be,  seldom  leaves  them  in  the  darkness  of  a  be- 
sotted ignorance.  As  usually  happens  with  this  particular 
race,  Gershom  had  acquired  a  good  deal  for  a  man  of  his  class 
in  life  ;  and  this  information,  added  to  native  shrewdness,  ena- 
bled him  to  maintain  his  place  in  the  dialogue  with  a  certain 
degree  of  credit.     He  had  a  very  lively  perception — fancied  or 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  GO 

real — of  all  the  advantages  of  being  born  in  the  land  of  the 
Puritans,  deeming  every  thing  that  came  of  the  great  6 '  Blarney 
Stone"  superior  to  every  thing  else  of  the  same  nature  else- 
where ;  and,  while  much  disposed  to  sneer  and  rail  at  all  other 
parts  of  the  country,  just  as  much  indisposed  to  "  take,"  as 
disposed  to  "give."  Ben  Boden  soon  detected  this  weakness 
in  his  companion's  character,  a  weakness  so  very  general  as 
scarce  to  need  being  pointed  out  to  any  observant  man,  and 
which  is  almost  inseparable  from  half-way  intelligence  and  pro- 
vincial self-admiration  ;  and  Ben  was  rather  inclined  to  play  on 
it,  whenever  Gershom  laid  himself  a  little  more  open  than  com- 
mon, on  the  subject.  On  the  whole,  however,  the  communica- 
tions were  amicable  ;  and  the  dangers  of  the  wilderness  render- 
ing the  parties  allies,  they  went  their  way  with  an  increasing 
confidence  in  each  other's  support.  Gershom,  now  that  he 
was  thoroughly  sober,  could  impart  much  to  Ben  that  was  use- 
ful ;  while  Ben  knew  a  great  deal  that  even  his  companion, 
coming  as  he  did  from  the  chosen  people,  was  not  sorry  to 
learn.  As  has  been  already  intimated,  each  communicated  to 
the  other,  in  the#  course  of  this  long  journey  on  the  river,  an 
outline  of  his  past  life. 

The  history  of  Gershom  Waring  was  one  of  every-day  occur- 
rence. He  was  born  of  a  family  in  humble  circumstances  in 
Massachusetts,  a  community  in  which,  however,  none  are  so 
very  humble  as  to  be  beneath  the  paternal  watchfulness  of  the 
state.  The  common  schools  had  done  their  duty  by  him ; 
while,  according  to  his  account  of  the  matter,  his  only  sister 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  female  relative,  who  was  enabled 
to  impart  an  instruction  slightly  superior  to  that  which  is  to  be 
had  from  the  servants  of  the  public.  After  a  time,  the  death 
of  this  relative,  and  the  marriage  of  Gershom,  brought  the 
brother  and  sister  together  again,  the  last  still  quite  young. 
From  this  period  the  migratory  life  of  the  family  commenced. 
Previously  to  the  establishment  of  manufactories  within  her 
limits,  New  England  systematically  gave  forth  her  increase  to 
the  states  west  and  south  of  her  own  territories.     A  portion  of 


70  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

this  increase  still  migrates,  and  will  probably  long  continue  so 
to  do ;  but  the  tide  of  young  women,  which  once  flowed  so 
steadily  from  that  region,  would  now  seem  to  have  turned,  and 
is  setting  back  in  a  flood  of  "  factory  girls."  But  the  Warings 
lived  at  too  early  a  day  to  feel  the  influence  of  such  a  pass  of 
civilization,  and  went  west,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course.  "With 
the  commencement  of  his  migratory  life,  Gershom  began  to 
"  dissipate,"  as  it  has  got  to  be  matter  of  convention  to  term 
"  drinking."  Fortunately,  Mrs.  "Waring  had  no  children,  thus 
lessening  in  a  measure  the  privations  to  which  those  unlucky 
females  were  obliged  to  submit.  When  Gershom  left  his  birth- 
place he  had  a  sum  of  money  exceeding  a  thousand  dollars  in 
amount,  the  united  means  of  himself  and  sister ;  but,  by  the 
time  he  had  reached  Detroit,  it  was  reduced  to  less  than  a  hun- 
dred. Several  years,  however,  had  been  consumed  by  the  way, 
the  habits  growing  worse  and  the  money  vanishing,  as  the  fam- 
ily went  further  and  further  toward  the  skirts  of  society.  At 
length  Gershom  attached  himself  to  a  sutler,  who  was  going  up 
to  Michilimackinac,  with  a  party  of  troops ;  and  finally  he  left 
that  place  to  proceed,  in  a  canoe  of  his  own,  to  the  head  of 
Lake  Michigan,  where  was  a  post  on  the  present  site  of  Chicago, 
which  was  then  known  as  Fort  Dearborn. 

In  quitting  Mackinac  for  Chicago,  Waring  had  no  very  set- 
tled plan.  His  habits  had  completely  put  him  out  of  favor  at 
the  former  place ;  and  a  certain  restlessness  urged  him  to  pene- 
trate still  farther  into  the  wilderness.  In  all  his  migrations  and 
wanderings  the  two  devoted  females  followed  his  fortunes  ;  the 
one  because  she  was  his  wife,  the  other  because  she  was  his; 
sister.  When  the  canoe  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo, 
a  gale  of  wind  drove  it  into  the  river ;  and  finding  a  deserted 
cabin,  ready  built,  to  receive  him,  Gershom  landed,  and  had 
been  busy  with  the  rifle  for  the  last  fortnight,  the  time  he  had 
been  on  shore.  Hearing  from  some  voyageurs  who  had  gone 
down  the  lake,  that  a  bee-hunter  was  up  the  river,  he  had 
followed  the  stream  in  its  windings  until  he  fell  in  with  lc 
Bourdon. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  7 1 

Such  is  an  outline  of  the  account  which  Whiskey  Centre 
gave  of  himself.  It  is  true,  he  said  very  little  of  his  propensity 
to  drink,  but  this  his  companion  was  enabled  to  conjecture. 
from  the  context  of  his  narrative,  as  well  as  from  what  he  had 
seen.  It  was  very  evident  to  the  bee-hunter,  that  the  plans  of 
both  parties  for  the  summer  were  about  to  be  seriously  derang- 
ed by  the  impending  hostilities,  and  that  some  decided  move- 
ment might  be  rendered  necessary,  even  for  the  protection  of 
their  lives.  This  much  he  communicated  to  Gershom,  who 
heard  his  opinions  with  interest,  and  a  concern  in  behalf  of  his 
wife  and  sister  that  at  least  did  some  credit  to  his  heart.  For 
the  first  time  in  many  months,  indeed,  Gershom  was  now  p£?~ 
fectly  sober,  a  circumstance  that  was  solely  owing  to  his  having 
had  no  access  to  liquor  for  eight-and-forty  hours.  With  the 
return  of  a  clear  head,  came  juster  notions  of  the  dangers  and 
difficulties  in  which  he  had  involved  the  two  self-devoted 
women  who  had  accompanied  him  so  far,  and  who  really 
seemed  ready  to  follow  him  in  making  the  circuit  of  the  earth. 

"  It's  troublesome  times,"  exclaimed  Whiskey  Centre,  when 
his  companion  had  just  ended  one  of  his  strong  and  lucid 
statements  of  the  embarrassments  that  might  environ  them, 
ere  they  could  get  back  to  the  settled  portions  of  the  country — 
"it's  troublesome  times,  truly  !  I  see  all  you  would  say,  Bour- 
don, and  wonder  I  ever  got  my  foot  so  deep  into  it,  without 
thinkin'  of  all,  beforehand  !  The  best  on  us  will  make  mistakes, 
hows' ever,  and  I  suppose  I've  been  called  on  to  make  mine,  as 
well  as  another."    * 

"  My  trade  speaks  for  itself,"  returned  the  bee-hunter,  "  and 
any  man  can  see  why  one  who  looks  for  bees  must  come  where 
they're  to  be  found ;  but,  I  will  own,  Gershom,  that  your  spec- 
ulation lies  a  little  beyond  my  understanding.  Now,  you  tell 
me  you  have  two  full  barrels  of  whiskey — " 

"  Had,  Bourdon — had — one  of  them  is  pretty  nearly  half 
used,  I  am  afeard." 

"  Well  had,  until  you  began  to  be  your  own  customer. 
But  here  you  are,  squatted  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo,  with 


72  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

a  barrel  and  a  half  of  liquor,  and  nobody  but  yourself  to  drink 
it !  Where  the  profits  are  to  come  from,  exceeds  Pennsylvany 
calculations  ;  perhaps  a  Yankee  can  tell." 

"  You  forget  the  Injins.  I  met  a  man  at  Mackinaw,  who 
only  took  out  in  his  canoe  one  barrel,  and  he  brought  in  skins 
enough  to  set  up  a  grocery,  at  Detroit.  But  I  was  on  the  trail 
of  the  soldiers,  and  meant  to  make  a  business  on't,  at  Fort 
Dearborn.  What  between  the  soldiers  and  the  redskins,  a  man 
might  sell  gallons  a  day,  and  at  fair  prices." 

"  It's  a  sorry  business  at  the  best,  Whiskey;  and  now  you're 
fairly  sober,  if  you'll  take  my  advice  you'll  remain  so.  Why 
not  make  up  your  mind,  like  a  man,  and  vow  you'll  never 
touch  another  drop." 

"  Maybe  I  will,  when  these  two  barrels  is  emptied — I've  often 
thought  of  doin'  some  sich  matter ;  and,  ag'in  and  ag'in,  has 
Dolly  and  Blossom  advised  me  to  fall  into  the  plan  ;  but  it's 
hard  to  give  up  old  habits,  all  at  once.  If  I  could  only  taper 
off  on  a  pint  a  day,  for  a  year  or  so,  I  think  I  might  come 
round  in  time.  I  know  as  well  as  you  do,  Bourdon,  that 
sobriety  is  a  good  thing,  and  dissipation  a  bad  thing ;  but  it's 
hard  to  give  up  all  at  once." 

Lest  the  instructed  reader  should  wonder  at  a  man's  using 
the  term  "  dissipation"  in  a  wilderness,  it  may  be  well  to  ex- 
plain that,  in  common  American  parlance,  "  dissipation"  has 
got  to  mean  "  drunkenness."  Perhaps  half  of  the  whole  coun- 
try, if  told  that  a  man,  or  a  woman,  might  be  exceedingly  dis- 
sipated and  never  swallow  anything  stronger  than  water,  would 
stoutly  deny  the  justice  of  applying  the  word  to  such  a  person. 
This  perversion  of  the  meaning  of  a  very  common  term,  has 
probably  arisen  from  the  circumstance  that  there  is  very  little 
dissipation  in  the  country  that  is  not  connected  with  hard  drink- 
ing. A  dissipated  woman  is  a  person  almost  unknown  in  Amer- 
ica ;  or  when  the  word  is  applied,  it  means  a  very  different  degree 
of  misspending  of  time,  from  that  which  is  understood  by  the 
use  of  the  same  reproach,  in  older  and  more  sophisticated  states 
of  society.     The  majority  rules  in  this  country,  and  with  the 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  '.*  3 

majority  excess  usually  takes  this  particular  aspect ;  refinement 
having  very  little  connection  with  the  dissipation  of  the  masses, 
anywhere. 

The  excuses  of  his  companion,  however,  caused  le  Bourdon 
to  muse,  more  than  might  otherwise  have  been  the  case,  on 
Whiskey  Centre's  condition.  Apart  from  all  considerations 
connected  with  the  man's  own  welfare,  and  the  happiness*  of 
his  family,  there  were  those  which  were  inseparable  from  the 
common  safety,  in  the  present  state  of  the  country.  Boclen 
was  a  man  of  much  decision  and  firmness  of  character,  and  he 
was  clear-headed  as  to  causes  and  consequences.  The  practice 
of  living  alone  had  induced  in  him  the  habits  of  reflection ;  and 
the  self-reliance  produced  by  his  solitary  life,  a  life  of  which  he 
was  fond  almost  to  a  passion,  caused  him  to  decide  warily,  but 
to  act  promptly.  As  they  descended  the  river  together,  there- 
fore, he  went  over  the  whole  of  Gershom  Waring' s  case  and 
prospects,  with  great  impartiality  and  care,  and  settled  in  his 
own  mind  what  ought  to  be  done,  as  well  as  the  mode  of  doing- 
it.  He  kept  his  own  counsel,  however,  discussing  all  sorts  of 
subjects  that  W£re  of  interest  to  men  in  their  situation,  as  they 
floated  down  the  stream,  avoiding  any  recurrence  to  this  theme, 
which  was  possibly  of  more  importance  to  them  both,  just  then, 
than  any  other  that  could  be  presented. 


i  4  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


•  CHAPTER  V. 

"  He  was  a  wight  of  high  renown, 
And  thou  art  but  of  low  degree : 
'Tis  pride  that  pulls  the  country  down — 
Then  take  thine  auld  cloak  about  thee." 

Shakspea.ee. 

The  canoe  did  not  reach  the  mouth  of  the  river  until  near 
evening  of  the  third  day  of  its  navigation.  It  was  not  so  much 
the  distance,  though  that  was  considerable,  as  it  was  the  obsta- 
cles that  lay  in  the  way,  which  brought  the  travellers  to  the 
end  of  their  journey  at  so  late  a  period.  As  they  drew  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  place  where  Gershom  had  left  his  wife  and 
sister,  le  Bourdon  detected  in  his  companion  signs  of  an  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  two  last,  as  well  as  a  gertain  feverish 
uneasiness  lest  all  might  not  be  well  with  them,  that  said  some- 
thing in  favor  of  his  heart,  whatever  might  be  urged  against  his 
prudence  and  care  in  leaving  them  alone  in  so  exposed  a  situa- 
tion. 

"  I'm  afeard  a  body  don't  think  as  much  as  he  ought  to  do, 
when  liquor  is  in  him,"  said  Whiskey  Centre,  just  as  the  canoe 
doubled  the  last  point,  and  the  hut  came  into  view;  "  else  I 
never  could  have  left  two  women  by  themselves  in  so  lonesome 
a  place.  God  be  praised  !  there  is  the  ckiente  at  any  rate ;  and 
there's  a  smoke  coniin'  out  of  it,  if  my  eyes  don't  deceive  me  ! 
Look,  Bourdon,  for  I  can  scarcely  see  at  all." 

"There  is  the  house ;  and,  as  you  say,  there  is  certainly  a 
smoke  rising  from  it." 

"  There's  comfort  in  that!"  exclaimed  the  truant  husband 
and  brother,  with  a  sigh  that  seemed  to  relieve  a  very  loaded 
breast.     "  Yes,  there's  comfort  in  that !     If  there's  a  fire,  there 


f  H  E      OAK      OPENINGS.  75 

must  be  them  that  lighted  it ;  and  a  fire  at  this  season,  too, 
says  that  there's  somethin'  to  eat.  I  should  be  sorry,  Bourdon, 
to  think  I'd  left  the  women  folks  without  food ;  though,  to  own 
the  truth,  I  don't  remember  whether  I  did  or  not." 

"  The  man  who  drinks,  Gershom,  has  commonly  but  a  very 
poor  memory." 

" That's  true — yes,  I'll  own  that;  and  I  wish  it  warn't  as 
true  as  it  is  ;  but  reason  and  strong  drink  do  not  travel  far  in 
company — " 

Gershom  suddenly  ceased  speaking ;  dropping  his  paddie 
like  one  beset  by  a  powerless  weakness.  The  bee-hunter  saw 
that  he  was  overcome  by  some  unexpected  occurrence,  and 
that  the  man's  feelings  were  keenly  connected  with  the  cause, 
whatever  that  might  be.  Looking  eagerly  around  in  quest  of 
the  explanation,  le  Bourdon  saw  a  female  standing  on  a  point 
of  land  that  commanded  a  view  of  the  river  and  its  banks  for  a 
considerable  distance,  unequivocally  watching  the  approach  of 
the  canoe. 

16  There  she  is,"  said  Gershom,  in  a  subdued  tone — "  that's 
Dolly  ;  and  there  she  has  been,  I'll  engage,  half  the  time  of 
my  absence,  waitin'  to  get  the  first  glimpse  of  my  miserable 
body,  as  it  came  back  to  her.  Sich  is  woman,  Bourdon ;  and 
God  forgive  me,  if  I  have  ever  forgotten  their  natur',  when  I 
was  bound  to  remember  it.  But  we  all  have  our  weak  moments, 
at  times,  and  I  trust  mine  will  not  be  accounted  ag'in  me  more 
than  them  of  other  men." 

"  This  is  a  beautiful  sight,  Gershom,  and  it  almost  makes  me 
your  friend  !  The  man  for  whom  a  woman  can  feel  so  much 
concern — that  a  woman — nay,  women  ;  for  you  tell  me  your 
sister  is  one  of  the  family — but  the  man  whom  decent  women 
can  follow  to  a  place  like  this,  must  have  some  good  p'ints 
about  him.  That  woman  is  a  weepin' ;  and  it  must  be  for  joy 
at  your  return." 

"  'Twould  be  jist  like  Dolly  to  do  so — she's  done  it  before, 
and  would  be  likely  to  do  so  ag'in,"  answered  Gershom,  nearly 
choked  by  the  effort  he  made  to  speak  without  betraying  his 


^6  THE   OAK   OPENINGS. 

own  emotion.  "  Put  the  canoe  into  the  p'int,  and  let  me  land 
there.  I  must  go  up  and  say  a  kind  word  to  poor  Dolly  ;  while 
you  can  paddle  on,  and  let  Blossom  know  I'm  near  at  hand." 

The  bee-hunter  complied  in  silence,  casting  curious  glances 
upward  at  the  woman  while  doing  so,  in  order  to  ascertain  what 
sort  of  a  female  Whiskey  Centre  could  possibly  have  for  a  wife. 
To  his  surprise,  Dorothy  Waring  was  not  only  decently,  but 
she  was  neatly  clad,  appearing  as  if  she  had  studiously  attended 
to  her  personal  appearance,  in  the  hope  of  welcoming  her  way- 
ward and  unfortunate  husband  back  to  his  forest  home.  This 
much  le  Bourdon  saw,  by  a  hasty  glance,  as  his  companion 
landed,  for  a  feeling  of  delicacy  prevented  him  from  taking  a 
longer  look  at  the  woman.  As  Gershom  ascended  the  bank  to 
meet  his  wife,  le  Bourdon  paddled  on,  and  landed  just  below 
the  grove  in  which  was  the  chiente.  It  might  have  been  his 
long  exclusion  from  all  of  the  other  sex,  and  most  especially 
from  that  portion  of  it  which  retains  its  better  looks,  but  the 
being  which  now  met  the  bee-hunter,  appeared  to  him  to  belong 
to  another  wrorld,  rather  than  to  that  in  which  he  habitually 
dwelt.  As  this  was  Margery  Waring,  who  was  almost  uniformly 
called  Blossom,  by  her  acquaintances,  and  who  is  destined  to 
act  an  important  part  in  this  legend  of  the  "  openings,"  it  may 
be  well  to  give  a  brief  description  of  her  age,  attire,  and  per- 
sonal appearance,  at  the  moment  when  she  was  first  seen  by  le 
Bourdon. 

In  complexion,  color  of  the  hair,  and  outline  of  face,  Margery 
Waring  bore  a  strong  family  resemblance  to  her  brother.  In 
spite  of  exposure,  and  the  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays  from  the 
water  of  the  lake,  however,  her  skin  was  of  a  clear,  transparent 
white,  such  as  one  might  look  for  in  a  drawing-room,  but  hardly 
expect  to  find  in  a  wilderness  ;  while  the  tint  of  her  lips,  cheeks, 
and,  in  a  diminished  degree,  of  her  chin  and  ears,  were  such  as 
one  who  wielded  a  pencil  might  long  endeavor  to  catch  with- 
out succeeding.  Her  features  had  the  chiselled  outline  which 
was  so  remarkable  in  her  brother ;  while  in  her  countenance,  in 
addition  to  the  softened  expression  of  her  sex  and  years,  there 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  77 

was  nothing  to  denote  any  physical  or  moral  infirmity,  to  form 
a  drawback  to  its  witchery  and  regularity.  Her  eyes  were  blue, 
and  her  hair  as  near  golden  as  human  tresses  well  could  be. 
Exercise,  a  life  of  change,  and  of  dwelling  much  in  the  open 
air,  had  given  to  this  unusually  charming  girl,  not  only  health, 
but  its  appearance.  Still,  she  was  in  no  respect  coarse,  or  had 
any  thing  in  the  least  about  her  that  indicated  her  being  accus- 
tomed to  toil,  with  some  slight  exception  in  her  hands,  perhaps, 
which  were  those  of  a  girl  who  did  not  spare  herself,  when  there 
was  an  opportunity  to  be  of  use.  In  this  particular,  the  vagrant 
life  of  her  brother  had  possibly  been  of  some  advantage  to  her, 
as  it  had  prevented  her  being  much  employed  in  the  ordinary 
toil  of  her  condition  in  life.  Still,  Margery  Waring  had  that 
happy  admixture  of  delicacy  and  physical  energy,  which  is, 
perhaps,  oftener  to  be  met  in  the  American  girl  of  her  class, 
than  in  the  girl  of  almost  any  other  nation  ;  and  far  oftener  than 
in  the  young  American  of  her  sex,  who  is  placed  above  the 
necessity  of  labor. 

As  a  stranger  approached  her,  the  countenance  of  this  fail 
creature  expressed  both  surprise  and  satisfaction ;  surprise  that 
any  one  should  have  been  met  by  Grershom,  in  such  a  wilder- 
ness, and  satisfaction  that  the  stranger  proved  to  be  a  white 
man,  and  seemingly  one  who  did  not  drink. 

"  You  are  Blossom,"  said  the  bee-hunter,  taking  the  hand 
of  the  half-reluctant  girl,  in  a  way  so  respectful  and  friendly, 
that  she  could  not  refuse  it,  even  while  she  doubted  the  pro- 
priety of  thus  receiving  an  utter  stranger — "  the  Blossom  of 
whom  Gershom  Waring  speaks  so  often,  and  so  affectionately?" 

"  You  are,  then,  my  brother's  friend,"  answered  Margery, 
smiling  so  sweetly,  that  le  Bourdon  gazed  on  her  with  delight. 
uWe  are  so  glad  that  he  has  come  back  !  Five  terrible  nights 
have  sister  and  I  been  here  alone,  and  we  have  believed  every 
bush  was  a  red  man  !" 

uThat  danger  is  over,  now,  Blossom;  but  there  is  still  an 
enemy  near  you  that  must  be  overcome." 

"  An  enemy  !     There  is  no  one,  here,  but  Dolly  and  myself. 


78  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

No  one  lias  been  near  us,  since  Gershom  went  after  the  bee 
hunter,  whom  we  heard  was  out  in  the  openings.  Are  you 
that  bee-hunter?" 

"  I  am,  beautiful  Blossom ;  and  I  tell  you  there  is  an  enemy 
here,  in  your  cabin,  that  must  be  looked  to." 

"  "We  fear  no  enemies  but  the  red  men,  and  we  have  seen 
none  of  them  since  we  reached  this  river.  What  is  the  name 
of  the  enemy  you  so  dread,  and  where  is  he  to  be  found  ?" 

"  His  name  is  Whiskey,  and  he  is  kept  somewhere  in  this 
hut,  in  casks.  Show  me  the  place,  that  I  may  destroy  him, 
before  his  friend  comes  to  his  assistance." 

A  gleam  of  bright  intelligence  flashed  into  the  face  of  the 
beautiful  young  creature.  First  she  reddened  almost  to  scarlet ; 
then  her  face  became  pale  as  death.  Compressing  her  lips 
intensely,  she  stood  irresolute — now  gazing  at  the  pleasing,  and 
seemingly  well-disposed  stranger  before  her,  now  looking  ear- 
nestly toward  the  still  distant  forms  of  her  brother  and  sister, 
which  were  slowly  advancing  in  the  direction  of  the  cabin. 

"  Dare  you?"  Margery  at  length  asked,  pointing  toward  her 
brother. 

"  I  dare  :  he  is  now  quite  sober,  and  may  be  reasoned  with. 
For  the  sake  of  us  all,  let  us  profit  by  this  advantage." 

"He  keeps  the  liquor  in  two  casks  that  you  will  find  under 
the  shed,  behind  the  hut." 

This  said,  the  girl  covered  her  face  with  both  her  hands,  and 
sunk  on  a  stool,  as  if  afraid  to  be  a  witness  of  that  which  was 
to  follow.  As  for  le  Bourdon,  he  did  not  delay  a  moment,  but 
passed  out  of  the  cabin  by  a  second  door,  that  opened  in  its 
rear.  There  were  the  two  barrels,  and  by  their  side  an  axe. 
His  first  impulse  was  to  dash  in  the  heads  of  the  casks  where 
they  stood  ;  but  a  moment's  reflection  told  him  that  the  odor, 
so  near  the  cabin,  would  be  unpleasant  to  every  one,  and  might 
have  a  tendency  to  exasperate  the  owner  of  the  liquor.  He 
cast  about  him,  therefore,  for  the  means  of  removing  the  casks, 
in  order  to  stave  them,  at  a  distance  from  the  dwelling. 

Fortunately,  the  cabin  of  Whiskey  Centre  stood  on  the  brow 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  10 

of  a  sharp  descent,  at  the  bottom  of  which  ran  a  brawling 
brook.  At  another  moment,  le  Bourdon  would  have  thought 
of  saving  the  barrels  ;  but  time  pressed,  and  he  could  not  delay. 
Seizing  the  barrel  next  to  him,  he  rolled  it  without  difficulty  to 
the  brow  of  the  declivity,  and  set  it  off  with  a  powerful  shove 
of  his  foot.  It  was  the  half-empty  cask,  and  away  it  went,  the 
liquor  it  contained  washing  about  as  it  rolled  over  and  over, 
until  hitting  a  rock  about  half-way  down  the  declivity,  the 
hoops  gave  way,  when  the  staves  went  over  the  little  precipice, 
and  the  water  of  the  stream  was  tumbling  through  all  that  re- 
mained of  the  cask,  at  the  next  instant.  A  slight  exclamation 
of  delight  behind  him  caused  the  bee-hunter  to  look  round,  and 
he  saw  that  Margery  was  watching  his  movement  with  an 
absorbed  interest.  Her  smile  was  one  of  joy,  not  unminglcd 
with  terror;  and  she  rather  whispered  than  said  aloud — "The 
other — the  other — that  is  full — be  quick ;  there  is  no  time  to 
lose."  The  bee-hunter  seized  the  second  cask  and  rolled  it 
toward  the  brow  of  the  rocks.  It  was  not  quite  as  easily  hand- 
led as  the  other  barrel,  but  his  strength  sufficed,  and  it  was  soon 
bounding  down  the  declivity  after  its  companion.  The  second 
cask  hit  the  same  rock  as  the  first,  whence  it  leaped  off  the 
precipice,  and,  aided  by  its  greater  momentum,  it  was  literally 
dashed  in  pieces  at  its  base. 

Not  only  was  this  barrel  broken  into  fragments,  but  its  hoops 
and  staves  were  carried  down  the  torrent,  driving  before  them 
those  of  the  sister  cask,  until  the  whole  were  swept  into  the 
lake,  which  was  some  distance  from  the  cabin. 

"That  job  is  well  done  I"  exclaimed  le  Bourdon,  when  the 
last  fragment  of  the  wreck  was  taken  out  of  sight.  "No  man 
will  ever  turn  himself  into  a  beast  by  means  of  that  liquor." 

"God  be  praised!"  murmured  Margery.  "He  is  so 
different,  stranger,  when  he  has  been  drinking,  from  what  he 
is  when  he  has  not !  You  have  been  sent  by  Providence  to 
do  us  this  good." 

"I  can  easily  believe  that,  for  it  is  so  with  us  all.  But 
you    must   not   call  me    stranger,   sweet   Margery ;    for,  now 


80  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

that  you  and  I  have  this  secret  between  us,  I  am  a  stranger  nc 
longer." 

The  girl  smiled  and  blushed  ;  then  she  seemed  anxious  to 
ask  a  question.  In  the  mean  time  they  left  the  shed,  and  took 
seats,  in  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  Gershom  and  his  wife.  It 
was  not  long  ere  the  last  entered ;  the  countenance  of  the  wife 
beaming  with  a  satisfaction  she  made  no  effort  to  conceal. 
J  )olly  was  not  as  beautiful  as  her  sister-in-law ;  still,  she  was  a 
comely  woman,  though  one  who  had  been  stricken  by  sorrow. 
She  was  still  young,  and  might  have  been  in  the  pride  of  her 
good  looks,  had  it  not  been  for  the  manner  in  which  she  had 
grieved  over  the  fall  of  Gershom.  The  joy  that  gladdens  a 
woman's  heart,  however,  was  now  illuminating  her  countenance, 
and  she  welcomed  le  Bourdon  most  cordially,  as  if  aware  that 
he  had  been  of  service  to  her  husband.  For  months  she  had 
not  seen  Gershom  quite  himself,  until  that  evening. 

UI  have  told  Dolly  all  our  adventur's,  Bourdon,"  cried 
Gershom,  as  soon  as  the  brief  greetings  were  over,  "  and  she 
tells  me  all's  right,  hereabouts.  Three  canoe-loads  of  Injins 
passed  along  shore,  goin'  up  the  lake,  she  tells  me,  this  very 
a'ternoon  ;  but  they  didn't  see  the  smoke,  the  fire  bein'  out, 
and  must  have  thought  the  hut  empty  ;  if  indeed,  they  knew 
any  thin'  of  it,  at  all." 

"The  last  is  the  most  likely,"  remarked  Margery;  "  for  I 
watched  them  narrowly  from  the  beeches  on  the  shore,  and 
there  was  no  pointing,  or  looking  up,  as  would  have  happened 
had  there  been  any  one  among  them  who  could  show  the  others 
a  cabin.  Houses  an't  so  plenty,  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
that  travellers  pass  without  turning  round  to  look  at  them.  An 
Injin  has  curiosity  as  well  as  a  white  man,  though  he  manages 
so  often  to  conceal  it." 

"  Didn't  you  say,  Blossom,  that  one  of  the  canoes  was  much 
behind  the  others,  and  that  a  warrior  in  that  canoe  did  look 
up  toward  this  grove,  as  if  searching  for  the  cabin?"  asked 
Dorothy. 

"  Either  it  was  so,  or  my  fears  made  it  seem  so.     The  two 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  81 

canoes  that  passed  first  were  well  filled  with  Injins,  each  having 
eight  in  it;  while  the  one  that  came  last  held  but  four  warriors. 
They  were  a  mile  apart,  and  the  last  canoe  seemed  to  be  trying 
to  overtake  the  others.  I  did  think  that  nothing  but  their 
haste  prevented  the  men  in  the  last  canoe  from  landing ;  but 
my  fears  may  have  made  that  seem  so  that  was  not  so." 

As  the  cheek  of  the  charming  girl  flushed  with  excitement, 
and  her  face  became  animated,  Margery  appeared  marvellously 
handsome ;  more  so,  the  bee-hunter  fancied,  than  any  other 
female  he  had  ever  before  seen.  But  her  words  impressed  him 
quite  as  much  as  her  looks ;  for  he  at  once  saw  the  importance 
of  such  an  event,  to  persons  in  their  situation.  The  wind  was 
rising  on  the  lake,  and  it  was  ahead  for  the  canoes ;  should  the 
savages  feel  the  necessity  of  making  a  harbor,  they  might  re- 
turn to  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo  ;  a  step  that  would  en- 
clanger  all  their  lives,  in  the  event  of  these  Indians  proving  to 
belong  to  those,  whom  there  was  now  reason  to  believe  were 
in  British  pay.  In  times  of  peace,  the  intercourse  between  the 
whites  and  the  red  men  was  usually  amicable,  and  seldom  led 
to  violence,  unless  through  the  effects  of  liquor ;  but,  a  price 
being  placed  on  scalps,  a  very  different  state  of  things  might  be 
anticipated,  as  a  consequence  of  the  hostilities.  This  was  then 
a  matter  to  be  looked  to ;  and,  as  evening  was  approaching,  no 
time  was  to  be  lost. 

The  shores  of  Michigan  are  generally  low,  nor  are  harbors 
either  numerous,  or  very  easy  of  access.  It  would  be  difficult, 
indeed,  to  find  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  so  great  an  ex- 
tent of  coast,  that  possesses  so  little  protection  for  the  navigator, 
as  that  of  this  very  lake.  There  are  a  good  many  rivers,  it  is 
true,  but  usually  they  have  bars,  and  are  not  easy  of  entrance. 
This  is  the  reason,  why  that  very  convenient  glove,  the  Con- 
stitution, which  can  be  made  to  fit  any  hand,  has  been  dis- 
covered to  have  an  extra  finger  in  it,  which  points  out  a  mode 
by  which  the  federal  government  can  create  ports  wherever 
nature  has  forgotten  to  perform  this  beneficent  office.  It  is  a 
little  extraordinary  that  the  fingers  of   so  many  of  the  great 


82  THE     OAK      OPENINGS. 

"  expounders"  turn  out  to  be  "  thumbs,"  however,  exhibiting 
clumsiness,  rather  than  that  adroit  lightness  which  usually 
characterizes  the  dexterity  of  men  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
rummaging  other  people's  pockets,  for  their  own  especial  pur- 
poses. It  must  be  somewhat  up-hill  work  to  persuade  any 
disinterested  and  clear-headed  man,  that  a  political  power  to 
"  regulate  commerce"  goes  the  length  of  making  harbors; 
the  one  being  in  a  great  measure  a  moral,  while  the  other  is  ex- 
clusively a  physical  agency ;  any  more  than  it  goes  the  length 
of  making  warehouses,  and  cranes,  and  carts,  and  all  the  other 
physical  implements  for  carrying  on  trade.  Now,  what  renders 
all  this  "  thumbing"  of  the  Constitution  so  much  the  more  ab- 
surd, is  the  fact,  that  the  very  generous  compact  interested  does 
furnish  a  means,  by  which  the  poverty  of  ports  on  the  great 
lakes  may  be  remedied,  without  making  any  more  unnecessary 
rents  in  the  great  national  glove.  Congress  clearly  possesses 
the  power  to  create  and  maintain  a  navy,  which  includes  the 
power  to  create  all  sorts  of  necessary  physical  appliances  ;  and, 
among  others,  places  of  refuge  for  that  navy,  should  they  be 
actually  needed.  As  a  vessel  of  war  requires  a  harbor,  and 
usually  a  better  harbor  than  a  merchant- vessel,  it  strikes  us 
the  "  expounders"  would  do  well  to  give  this  thought  a 
moment's  attention.  Behind  it  will  be  found  the  most  un- 
answerable argument  in  favor  of  the  light-houses,  too. 

But,  to  return  to  the  narrative :  the  Kalamazoo  could  be 
entered  by  canoes,  though  it  offered  no  very  available  shelter 
for  a  vessel  of  any  size.  There  was  no  other  shelter  for 
the  savages  for  several  miles  to  the  southward ;  and,  should 
the  wind  increase,  of  which  there  were  strong  indications,  it 
was  not  only  possible,  but  highly  probable,  that  the  canoes 
would  return.  According  to  the  account  of  the  females,  they 
had  passed  only  two  hours  before,  and  the  breeze  had  been 
gradually  gathering  strength  ever  since.  It  was  not  unlikely, 
indeed,  that  the  attention  paid  to  the  river  by  the  warrior  in 
the  last  canoe,  may  have  had  reference  to  this  very  state  of  the 
weather ;  and  his  haste  to  overtake  his  companions  been  con- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  .  #3 

nected  with  a  desire  to  induce  them  to  seek  a  shelter.  All  this 
presented  itself  to  the  bee-hunter's  mind,  at  once  ;  and  it  was 
discussed  between  the  members  of  the  party,  freely,  and  not 
without  some  grave  apprehensions. 

There  was  one  elevated  point — elevated  comparatively,  if 
not  in  a  very  positive  sense — whence  the  eye  could  command 
a  considerable  distance  along  the  lake  shore.  Thither  Margery 
now  hastened  to  look  after  the  canoes,  Boden  accompanied 
her ;  and  together  they  proceeded,  side  by  side,  with  a  new- 
born, but  lively  and  increasing  confidence,  that  was  all  the 
greater,  in  consequence  of  their  possessing  a  common  secret." 

"  Brother  must  be  much  better  than  he  was,"  the  girl  ob- 
served, as  they  hurried  on,  "for  he  has  not  once  been  into  the 
shed  to  look  at  the  barrels !  Before  he  went  into  the  open- 
ings, he  never  entered  the  house  without  drinking  ;  and,  some- 
times, he  would  raise  the  cup  to  his  mouth  as  often  as  three 
times  in  the  first  half-hour.  Now,  he  does  not  seem  even  to 
think  of  it!" 

"  It  may  be  well  that  he  can  find  nothing  to  put  into  his  cup, 
should  he  fall  into  his  old  ways.  One  is  never  sure  of  a  man 
of  such  habits,  until  he  is  placed  entirely  out  of  harm's  way." 

"  Gershom  is  such  a  different  bSing  when  he  has  not  been 
drinking!"  rejoined  the  sister,  in  a  touching  manner.  "We 
love  him,  and  strive  to  do  all  we  can  to  keep  him  up,  but  it  is 
hard." 

"  I  am  surprised  that  you  should  have  come  into  this  wilder- 
ness with  any  one  of  bad  habits  ?" 

"  Why  not  ?  He  is  my  brother,  and  I  have  no  parents — he 
is  all  to  me  :  and  what  would  become  of  Dorothy  if  I  were  to 
quit  her,  too  !  She  has  lost  most  of  her  friends,  since  Gershom 
fell  into  these  ways,  and  it  would  quite  break  her  heart,  did  I 
desert  her." 

"All  this  speaks  well  for  you,  pretty  Margery,  but  it  is  not 
the  less  surprising — ah,  there  is  my  canoe,  in  plain  sight  of 
all  who  enter  the  river ;  that  must  be  concealed,  Injins  or  nc 
Injins." 


84  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"  It  is  only  a  step  further  to  the  place  where  we  can  get  a 
look-out.  Just  there,  beneath  the  burr-oak.  Hours  and  hours 
have  I  sat  on  that  spot,  with  my  sewing,  while  Grershora  was 
gone  into  the  openings." 

"  And  Dolly — where  was  she  while  you  were  here  ?" 

"  Poor  Dolly  ! — I  do  think  she  passed  quite  half  her  time  up 
at  the  beach-tree,  where  you  first  saw  her,  looking  if  brother 
was  not  coming  home.  It  is  a  cruel  thing  to  a  wife  to  have  a 
truant  husband  !" 

"  Which  I  hope  may  never  be  your  case,  pretty  Margery, 
and  which  I  think  never  can.17 

Margery  did  not  answer :  but  the  speech  must  have  been 
heard,  uttered  as  it  was  in  a  much  lower  tone  of  voice  than  the 
young  man  had  hitherto  used ;  for  the  charming  maiden  looked 
down  and  blushed.  Fortunately,  the  two  now  soon  arrived  at 
the  tree,  and  their  conversation  naturally  reverted  to  the  sub- 
ject which  had  brought  them  there.  Three  canoes  were  in 
sight,  close  in  with  the  land,  but  so  distant  as  to  render  it  for 
some  time  doubtful  which  way  they  were  moving.  At  first, 
the  bee-hunter  said  that  they  were  still  going  slowly  to  the 
southward ;  but  he  habitually  carried  his  little  glass,  and,  on 
levelling  that,  it  wras  quite  apparent  that  the  savages  were  pad- 
dling before  the  wind,  and  making  for  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
This  was  a  very  grave  fact ;  and,  as  Blossom  flew  to  com- 
municate it  to  her  brother  and  his  wife,  le  Bourdon  moved 
toward  his  own  canoe,  and  looked,  about  for  a  place  of  con- 
cealment. 

Several  considerations  had  to  be  borne  in  mind,  in  disposing 
of  the  canoes;  for  that  of  Gershom  was  to  be  secreted,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  bee-hunter.  A  tall  aquatic  plant,  that  is  termed 
wild  rice,  and  which  we  suppose  to  be  the  ordinary  rice-plant, 
unimproved  by  tillage,  grows  spontaneously  about  the  mouths 
and  on  the  flats  of  most  of  the  rivers  of  the  part  of  Michigan  of 
which  we  are  writing ;  as,  indeed,  it  is  to  be  found  in  nearly  all 
the  shallow  waters  of  those  regions.  There  wTas  a  good  deal  of 
this  rice  at  hand;   and  the  bee-hunter,  paddling  his  own  canoe 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  85 

and  towing  the  other,  entered  this  vegetable  thicket,  choosing 
a  channel  that  had  been  formed  by  some  accident  of  nature, 
and  which  wound  through  the  herbage  in  a  way  soon  to  con- 
ceal all  that  came  within  its  limits.  These  channels  wTere  not 
only  numerous,  but  exceedingly  winding ;  and  the  bee-hunter 
had  no  sooner  brought  his  canoes  to  the  firm  ground  and 
fastened  them  there,  than  he  ascended  a  tree,  and  studied  the 
windings  of  these  narrow  passages,  until  he  had  got  a  general 
idea  of  their  direction  and  characters.  This  precaution  taken, 
he  hurried  back  to  the  hut. 

"  Well,  Gershom,  have  you  settled  on  the  course  to  be  taken  ?" 
were  the  first  words  uttered  by  the  bee-hunter  when  he  rejoined 
the  family  of  Whiskey  Centre. 

"  We  haven't,"  answered  the  husband.  "  Sister  begs  us 
to  quit  the  chiente,  for  the  Indians  must  soon  be  here ;  but 
wife  seems  to  think  that  she  must  be  safe,  now  I'm  at  home 
ag'in." 

"Then  wife  is  wrong,  and  sister  is  right.  If  you  will  take 
my  advice,  you  will  hide  all  your  effects  in  the  woods,  and  quit 
the  cabin  as  soon  as  possible.  The  Injins  cannot  fail  to  see 
this  habitation,  and  will  be  certain  to  destroy  all  they  find  in 
it,  and  that  they  do  not  carry  off.  Besides,  the  discovery  of 
the  least  article  belonging  to  a  white  man  will  set  them  on  our 
trail ;  for  scalps  will  soon  bear  a  price  at  Montreal.  In  half  an 
hour,  all  that  is  here  can  be  removed  into  the  thicket  that  is 
luckily  so  near ;  and  by  putting  out  the  fire  with  care,  and  us- 
ing proper  caution,  we  may  give  the  place  such  a  deserted  look, 
that  the  savages  will  suspect  nothing." 

"If  they  enter  the  river,  Bourdon,  they  will  not  'camp  out 
with  a  wigwam  so  near  by,  and  should  they  come  here,  what 
is  to  prevent  their  seein'  the  foot-prints  we  shall  leave  behind 
us?" 

"  The  night,  and  that  only.  Before  morning  their  own  foot- 
steps will  be  so  plenty  as  to  deceive  them.  Luckily  we  all 
wear  mocassins,  which  is  a  great  advantage  just  now.  But 
every  moment  is  precious,  and  we  should  be  stirring.     Let  the 


86  Tfi®     OAK     OPENINGS. 

women  take  the  beds  and  bedding,  while  yon  and  I  shoulder 
this  chest.     Up  it  goes,  and  away  with  it !" 

Gershom  had  got  to  be  so  much  under  his  companion's  in- 
fluence, that  he  complied,  though  his  mind  suggested  \arious 
objections  to  the  course  taken,  to  which  his  tongue  gave  utter- 
ance as  they  busied  themselves  in  this  task.  The  effects  of 
Whiskey  Centre  had  been  gradually  diminishing  in  quantity, 
as  well  as  in  value,  for  the  last  three  years,  and  were  now  ol 
no  great  amount,  in  any  sense.  Still  there  were  two  chests, 
one  large,  and  one  small.  The  last  contained  all  that  a  generous 
regard  for  the  growing  wants  of  the  family  had  left  to  Margery ; 
while  the  first  held  the  joint  wardrobes  of  the  husband  and 
wife,  with  a  few  other  articles  that  were  considered  as  valuable. 
— Among  other  things  were  half  a  dozen  of  very  thin  silver 
tea-spoons,  which  had  fallen  to  Gershom  on  a  division  of  family 
plate.  The  other  six  were  carefully  wrapped  up  in  paper  and 
put  in  the  till  of  Margery's  chest,  being  her  portion  of  this 
species  of  property.  The  Americans,  generally,  have  very  little 
plate  ;  though  here  and  there  marked  exceptions  do  exist ;  nor 
do  the  humbler  classes  lay  out  much  of  their  earnings  in 
jewelry,  while  they  commonly  dress  far  beyond  their  means  in 
all  other  ways.  In  this  respect,  the  European  female  of  the 
same  class  in  life  frequently  possesses  as  much  in  massive  golden 
personal  ornaments  as  would  make  an  humble  little  fortune, 
while  her  attire  is  as  homely  as  cumbrous  petticoats,  coarse 
cloth,  and  a  vile  taste  can  render  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
American  matron  that  has  not  a  set — one  half-dozen — of  silver 
tea-spoons  must  be  poor  indeed,  and  can  hardly  be  said  to  be- 
long to  the  order  of  housekeepers  at  all.  By  means  of  a  care- 
ful mother,  both  Gershom  and  his  sister  had  the  half-dozen 
mentioned  ;  and  they  were  kept  more  as  sacred  memorials  of 
past  and  better  days  than  as  articles  of  any  use.  The  house- 
hold goods  of  "Waring  would  have  been  limited  by  his  means 
of  transportation,  if  not  by  his  poveity.  Two  common  low- 
post  maple  bedsteads  were  soon  uncorded  and  carried  off,  as 
were  the  beds  and  bedding.     There  was  scarcely  any  ciockery, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS*  87 

pewter  and  tin  being  its  substitutes  ;  and  as  for  chairs  there 
was  only  one,  and  that  had  rockers :  a  practice  of  New  England 
that  has  gradually  diffused  itself  over  the  whole  country,  looking 
down  ridicule,  the  drilling  of  boarding-schools,  the  comments 
of  elderly  ladies  of  the  old  school,  the  sneers  of  nurses,  and,  in 
a  word,  all  that  venerable  ideas  of  decorum  could  suggest,  until 
this  appliance  of  domestic  ease  has  not  only  fairly  planted  itself 
in  nearly  every  American  dwelling,  but  in  a  good  many  of 
Europe  also ! 

It  required  about  twenty  minutes  for  the  party  to  clear  the 
cabin  of  every  article  that  might  induce  an  Indian  to  suspect 
the  presence  of  white  men.  The  furniture  was  carried  to  a 
sufficient  distance  to  be  safe  from  every  thing  but  a  search ;  and 
care  was  had  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  making  a  trail,  to 
lead  the  savages  to  the  place  selected  for  the  temporary  store- 
room. This  was  merely  a  close  thicket,  into  which  there  was 
a  narrow  but  practicable  entrance  on  the  side  the  least  likely  to 
be  visited.  When  all  was  accomplished  the  four  went  to  the 
look-out  to  ascertain  how  far  the  canoes  had  come.  It  was 
soon  ascertained  that  they  were  within  a  mile,  driving  down 
before  a  strong  breeze  and  following  sea,  and  impelled  by  as 
many  paddles  as  there  were  living  beings  in  them.  Ten  minutes 
would  certainly  bring  them  up  with  the  bar,  and  five  more 
fairly  within  the  river.  The  question  now  arose,  where  the 
party  wras  to  be  concealed  during  the  stay  of  the  savages. 
Dolly,  as  was  perhaps  natural  for  the  housewife,  wished  to  re- 
main by  her  worldly  goods,  and  pretty  Margery  had  a  strong 
feminine  leaning  to  do  the  same.  But  neither  of  the  men  ap- 
proved of  the  plan.  It  was  risking  too  much  in  one  spot ; 
and  a  suggestion  that  the  bee-hunter  was  not  long  in  making, 
prevailed. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  le  Bourdon  had  carried  the  canoes 
within  the  field  of  wild  rice,  and  bestowed  them  there  with  a 
good  deal  of  attention  to  security.  Now  these  canoes  offered, 
in  many  respects,  better  places  of  temporary  refuge,  under  all 
the  circumstances,  than  any  other  that  could  readily  be  found 


88  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

on  shore.  They  were  dry  ;  and  by  spreading  skins,  of  which 
Boden  had  so  many,  comfortable  beds  might  be  made  for  the 
females,  which  wonld  be  easily  protected  from  the  night  air 
and  dews  by  throwing  a  rug  over  the  gunwales.  Then,  each 
canoe  contained  many  articles  that  would  probably  be  wanted ; 
that  of  the  bee-hunter  in  particular-furnishing  food  in  abund- 
ance, as  well  as  divers  other  things  that  would  be  exceedingly 
useful  to  persons  in  their  situation.  The  great  advantage  of 
the  canoes,  however,  in  the  mind  of  le  Bourdon,  was  the  facil- 
ities they  offered  for  flight.  He  hardly  hoped  that  Indian 
sagacity  would  be  so  far  blinded  as  to  prevent  the  discovery  of 
the  many  footsteps  they  must  have  left  in  their  hurried  move- 
ments, and  he  anticipated  that  with  the  return  of  day  some- 
thing would  occur  to  render  it  necessary  for  them  to  seek 
safety  by  a  stealthy  removal  from  the  spot.  This  might 
be  done,  he  both  hoped  and  believed,  under  cover  of  the  rice, 
should  sufficient  care  be  taken  to  avoid  exposure.  In  placing 
the  canoes,  he  had  used  the  precaution  to  leave  them  where 
they  could  not  be  seen  from  the  cabin  or  its  vicinity,  or,  in- 
deed, from  any  spot  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ground  that  the 
savages  would  be  likely  to  visit  during  their  stay.  All  these 
reasons  le  Bourdon  now  rapidly  laid  before  his  companions, 
and  to  the  canoes  the  whole  party  retired  as  fast  as  they  could 
walk. 

There  was  great  judgment  displayed  on  the  part  of  the  bee 
hunter  in  selecting  the  wild  rice  as  a  place  of  shelter.  At  that 
season  it  was  sufficiently  grown  to  afford  a  complete  screen  to 
every  thing  within  it  that  did  not  exceed  the  height  of  a  man, 
or  which  was  not  seen  from  some  adjacent  elevation.  Most  of 
the  land  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  low,  and  the  few  spots 
which  formed  exceptions  had  been  borne  in  mind  when  the 
canoes  were  taken  into  the  field.  But  just  as  Gershom  was  on 
the  point  of  putting  a  foot  into  his  own  canoe,  with  a  view  to 
to  arrange  it  for  the  reception  of  his  wife,  he  drew  back,  and 
exclaimed  after  the  manner  of  one  to  whom  a  most  important 
idea  suddenly  occurs — 


1I.1E     OAK     OPENINGS.  80 

M  Land's  sake  !  I've  forgotten  all  about  them  barrels  !  They'll 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  savages,  and  an  awful  time  they'll 
make  with  them  !  Let  me  pass,  Dolly ;  I  must  look  after  the 
barrels  this  instant." 

While  the  wife  gently  detained  her  eager  husband,  the  bee- 
hunter  quietly  asked  to  what  barrels  he  alluded. 

"  The  whiskey  casks,"  was  the  answer.  "There's  two  on 
'em  in  the  shed  behind  the  hut,  and  whiskey  enough  to  set  a 
whole  tribe  in  commotion.  I  wonder  I  should  have  overlooked 
tie  whiskey  I" 

"  It  is  a  sign  of  great  improvement,  friend  Waring,  and  will 
lead  to  no  bad  consequences,"  returned  le  Bourdon,  coolly.  "  I 
foresaw  the  danger,  and  rolled  the  casks  down  the  hill,  where 
they  were  dashed  to  pieces  in  the  brook,  and  the  liquor  has 
long  since  been  carried  into  the  lake  in  the  shape  of  grog." 

"Waring  seemed  astounded ;  but  was  so  completely  mystified 
as  not  to  suspect  the  truth.  That  his  liquor  should  be  hope- 
lessly lost  was  bad  enough ;  but  even  that  was  better  than  to 
have  it  drunk  by  savages  without  receiving  any  returns.  After 
groaning  and  lamenting  over  the  loss  for  a  few  minutes,  he  joined 
the  rest  of  the  party  in  making  some  further  dispositions,  which 
le  Bourdon  deemed  prudent,  if  not  necessary. 

It  had  occurred  to  the  bee-hunter  to  divide  his  own  cargo 
between  the  two  canoes,  which  was  the  task  that  the  whole 
party  was  now  engaged  in.  The  object  was  to  lighten  his  own 
canoe  in  the  event  of  flight,  and,  by  placing  his  effects  in  two 
parcels,  give  a  chance  to  those  in  the  boat  which  might  escape, 
of  having  wherewithal  to  comfort  and  console  themselves.  As 
soon  as  this  new  arrangement  wTas  completed,  le  Bourdon  ran 
up  to  a  tree  that  offered  the  desired  facilities,  and  springing 
into  its  branches,  was  soon  high  enough  to  get  a  view  of  the 
bar  and  the  mouth  of  the  river.  By  the  parting  light  of  day, 
he  distinctly  saw  four  canoes  coming  up  the  stream ;  which 
was  one  more  than  those  reported  to  him  by  Margery  as  having 
passed. 


CO  T II  EOAK      OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

"  And  long  shall  timorous  fancy  see, 
The  painted  chief  and  pointed  spear ; 
And  reason's  self  shall  bow  the  knee, 
To  shadows  and  delusions  here." 

FllE^EAtT. 

A  bright  moon  reflected  on  the  earth  for  about  an  hour  the 
light  of  the  sun,  as  the  latter  luminary  disappeared.  By  its  aid 
the  bee-hunter,  who  still  continued  in  the  tree,  was  enabled  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  canoes  of  the  Indians,  though  the 
persons  they  contained  soon  got  to  be  so  indistinct  as  to  render 
it  impossible  to  do  more  than  count  their  numbers.  The  last 
he  made  out  to  be  live  each  in  three  of  the  canoes,  and  six  in 
the  other,  making  twenty-one  individuals  in  all.  This  was  too 
great  an  odds  to  think  of  resisting,  in  the  event  of  the  strangers 
turning  out  to  be  hostile  ;  and  the  knowledge  of  this  disparity 
in  force  admonished  all  the  fugitives  of  the  necessity  of  being 
wary  and  prudent. 

The  strangers  landed  just  beneath  the  hut,  or  at  the  precise 
spot  where  Whiskey  Centre  was  in  the  habit  of  keeping  his 
canoe,  and  whence  Boden  had  removed  it  only  an  hour  or  two 
before.  The  savages  had  probably  selected  the  place  on  account 
of  its  shores  being  clear  of  the  wild  rice,  and  because  the  high 
ground  near  it  promised  both  a  look-out  and  comfortable  lodg- 
ings. Several  of  the  party  strolled  upward,  as  if  searching  for 
an  eligible  spot  to  light  their  fire,  and  one  of  them  soon  dis- 
covered the  cabin.  The  warrior  announced  his  success  by  a 
whoop,  and  a  dozen  of  the  Indians  were  shortly  collected  in 
and  about  the  chientL  All  this  proved  the  prudence  of  the 
coni'be  taken  by  the  fugitives. 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  91 

Blossom  stood  beneath  the  tree,  and  the  bee-hunter  told  her, 
as  each  incident  occurred,  all  that  passed  among  the  strangers, 
when  the  girl  communicated  the  same  to  her  brother  and  his 
wife,  who  were  quite  near  at  hand  in  one  of  the  canoes.  As 
there  was  no  danger  of  being  overheard,  conversation  in  an 
ordinary  tone  passed  between  the  parties,  two  of  whom  at  least 
were  now  fond  of  holding  this  sort  of  communion. 

"  Do  they  seem  to  suspect  the  neighborhood  of  the  occu- 
pants of  the  cabin  !"  asked  Margery,  when  the  bee-hunter  had 
let  her  know  the  manner  in  which  the  savages  had  taken  pos- 
session of  her  late  dwelling. 

"  One  cannot  tell.  Savages  are  always  distrustful  and  cau- 
tious when  on  a  war-path ;  and  these  seem  to  be  scenting  about 
like  so  many  hounds  which  are  nosing  for  a  trail.  They  are 
now  gathering  sticks  to  light  a  fire,  which  is  better  than  burn- 
ing  the  ckiente." 

"  That  they  will  not  be  likely  to  do  until  they  have  no  fur- 
ther need  of  it.  Tell  me  Bourdon,  do  any  go  near  the  thicket 
of  alders  where  we  have  hidden  our  goods  V 

"  Not  as  yet ;  though  there  is  a  sudden  movement  and  many 
loud  yells  among  them  !" 

"  Heaven  send  that  it  may  not  be  at  having  discovered  any 
thing  we  have  forgotten.  The  sight  of  even  a  lost  dipper  or 
cup  would  set  them  blood-hounds  on  our  path,  as  sure  as  we 
are  white  and  they  are  savages !" 

"  As  I  live,  they  scent  the  whiskey!  There  is  a  rush  tow- 
ard, and  a  pow-wow  in  and  about  the  shed — yes,  of  a  certain- 
ty they  smell  the  liquor !  Some  of  it  has  escaped  in  rolling 
down  the  hill,  and  their  noses  are  too  keen  to  pass  over  a  fra- 
grance that  to  them  equals  that  of  roses.  Well,  let  them  scent 
as  they  may — even  an  Injin  does  not  get  drunk  through  his 
nose" 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Bourdon:  but  is  not  this  a  most  un- 
happy scent  for  us,  since  the  smell  of  whiskey  can  hardly  be 
there  without  their  seeing  it  did  not  grow  in  the  woods  of 
itself,  like  an  oak  or  a  beech  ?" 


92  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"I  understand  you,  Margery,  and  there  is  good  sense  in 
what  you  say.  They  will  never  think  the  liquor  grew  there, 
like  a  blackberry  or  a  chestnut,  though  the  place  is  called 
Whiskey  Centre !" 

"It  is  hard  enough  to  know  that  a  family  has  deserved  such, 
a  name,  without  being  reminded  of  it  by  those  that  call  them- 
selves friends,''  answered  the  girl  pointedly,  after  a  pause  of 
near  a  minute,  though  she  spoke  in  sorrow  rather  than  in  anger. 

In  an  instant  the  bee-hunter  was  at  pretty  Margery's  side, 
making  his  peace  by  zealous  apologies  and  winning  protesta- 
tions of  respect  and  concern.  The  mortified  girl  wras  soon 
appeased ;  and,  after  consulting  together  for  a  minute,  they 
went  to  the  canoe  to  communicate  to  the  husband  and  wife 
what  they  had  seen. 

"  The  whiskey  after  all  is  likely  to  prove  our  worst  enemy," 
said  the  bee-hunter  as  he  approached.  "  It  would  seem  that 
in  moving  the  barrels  some  of  the  liquor  has  escaped,  and  the 
nose  of  an  Injin  is  too  quick  for  the  odor  it  leaves,  not  to  scent 
it." 

"Much  good  may  it  do  them,"  growled  Gershom — "they've 
lost  me  that  whiskey,  and  let  them  long  for  it  without  gettin* 
any,  as  a  punishment  for  the  same.  My  fortun'  would  have 
been  made  could  I  only  have  got  them  two  barrels  as  far  as 
Fort  Dearborn  before  the  troops  moved  !" 

"  The  barrels  might  have  been  got  there,  certainly,"  answer- 
ed le  Bourdon,  so  much  provoked  at  the  man's  regrets  for  the 
destroyer  which  had  already  come  so  near  to  bringing  want 
and  ruin  on  himself  and  family,  and  momentarily  to  forget  his 
recent  scene  with  pretty  Margery  ;  "  but  whether  any  thing 
would  have  been  in  them  is  another  question.  One  of  those  I 
rolled  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  was  half  empty  as  it  was." 

"  Gershom  is  so  troubled  with  the  ague,  if  he  don't  take 
stimulants  in  this  new  country,"  put  in  the  wife,  in  the  apolo- 
getic manner  in  which  woman  struggles  to  conceal  the  failings 
of  him  she  loves.  "  As  for  the  whiskey,  I  don't  grudge  that  in 
the  least ;  for  it's  a  poor  way  of  getting  rich  to  be  selling  it  to 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  93 

soldiers,  who  want  all  the  reason  liquor  has  left  'em,  and  more 
too.  Still,  Gershom  needs  bitters  ;  and  ought  not  to  have  every 
drop  he  has  taken  thrown  into  his  face." 

By  this  time  le  Bourdon  was  again  sensible  of  his  mistake, 
and  he  beat  a  retreat  in  the  best  manner  he  could,  secretly 
resolving  not  to  place  himself  any  more  between  two  fires,  in 
consequence  of  further  blunders  on  this  delicate  subject.  He 
now  found  that  it  was  a  very  different  thing  to  joke  Whiskey 
Centre  himself  on  the  subject  of  his  great  failing,  from  making 
even  the  most  distant  allusion  to  it  in  the  presence  of  those  who 
felt  for  a  husband's  and  a  brother's  weakness,  with  a  liveliness 
of  feeling  that  brutal  indulgence  had  long  since  destroyed  in  the 
object  of  their  solicitude.  He  accordingly  pointed  out  the  risk 
there  was  that  the  Indians  should  make  the  obvious  inference, 
that  human  beings  must  have  recently  been  in  the  hut,  to  leave 
the  fresh  scent  of  the  liquor  in  question  behind  them.  This 
truth  was  so  apparent  that  all  felt  its  force,  though  to  no  one 
else  did  the  danger  seem  so  great  as  to  the  bee-hunter.  He 
had  greater  familiarity  with  the  Indian  character  than  any  of 
his  companions,  and  dreaded  the  sagacity  .of  the  savages  in  a 
just  proportion  to  his  greater  knowledge.  He  did  not  fail, 
therefore,  to  admonish  his  new  friends  of  the  necessity  for 
vigilance. 

"  I  will  return  to  the  tree  and  take  another  look  at  the  move 
ments  of  the  savages,"  le  Bourdon  concluded  by  saying.  "By 
this  time  their  fire  must  be  lighted ;  and  by  the  aid  of  my  glass, 
a  better  insight  may  be  had  into  their  plans  and  feelings." 

The  bee-hunter  now  went  back  to  his  tree,  whither  he  was 
slowly  followed  by  Margery ;  the  girl  yielding  to  a  feverish  de- 
sire to  accompany  him,  at  the  very  time  she  was  half  restrained 
by  maiden  bashfulness;  though"  anxiety  and  the  wish  to  learn 
the  worst  as  speedily  as  possible,  prevailed. 

"They  have  kindled  a  blazing  fire,  and  the  whole  of  the  in- 
side of  the  house  is  as  bright  as  if  illuminated,"  said  le  Bourdon, 
who  was  now  carefully  bestowed  among  the  branches  of  his 
small  tree.     "  There  are  lots  of  the  red  devils  moving  about 


94  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

the  chiente,  inside  and  out ;  and  they  seem  to  have  fish  as  well 
as  venison  to  cook.  Aye,  there  goes  more  dry  brush  on  the 
fire  to  brighten  up  the  picture,  and  daylight  is  almost  eclipsed. 
As  I  live,  they  have  a  prisoner  among  'em  !" 

"A  prisoner !"  exclaimed  Margery,  in  the  gentle  tones  of 
female  pity — "Not  a  white  person,  surely?" 

"  No — he  is  a  redskin  like  all  of  them — but — wait  a  minute 
till  I  can  get  the  glass  a  little  more  steady.  Yes — it  is  so — I 
was  right  at  first  I" 

"What  is  so,  Bourdon — and  in  what  are  you  right  ?" 

"You  may  remember,  Blossom,  that  your  brother  and  I 
spoke  of  the  two  Injins  who  visited  me  in  the  openings.  One 
was  a  Pottawattamie  and  the  other  a  Chippewa.  The  first  we 
found  dead  and  scalped,  after  he  had  left  us ;  and  the  last  is 
now  in  yonder  hut,  bound  and  a  prisoner.  He  has  taken  to  the 
lake  on  his  way  to  Fort  Dearborn,  and  has,  with  all  his  craft 
and  resolution,  fallen  into  enemies'  hands.  Well  will  it  be  for 
him  if  his  captors  do  not  learn  what  befell  the  warrior  who  was 
slain  near  my  cabin,  and  left  seated  against  a  tree !" 

"Do  you  think  these  savages  mean  to  revenge  the  death  of 
their  brother  on  this  unfortunate  wretch  ?" 

"I  know  that  he  is  in  the  pay  of  our  general  at  Detroit, 
while  the  Pottawattamies  are  in  the  pay  of  the  English.  This 
of  itself  would  make  them  enemies,  and  has  no  doubt  been  the 
cause  of  his  being  taken  ;  but  I  do  not  well  see  how  Injins  on 
the  lake  here  can  know  any  thing  of  what  has  happened  some 
fifty  miles  or  so  up  in  the  openings." 

"  Perhaps  the  savages  in  the  canoes  belong  to  the  same  party 
as  the  warrior  you  call  Elksfoot,  and  that  they  have  had  the 
means  of  learning  his  death,  and  by  whose  hand  he  fell." 

The  bee-hunter  was  surprised  at  the  quickness  of  the  girl's 
wit,  the  suggestion  being  as  discreet  as  it  was  ingenious.  The 
manner  in  which  intelligence  flies  through  the  wilderness  had 
often  surprised  him,  and  certainly  it  was  possible  that  the  party 
now  before  him  might  have  heard  of  the  fate  of  the  chief  whose 
body  he  had  found  in  the  openings,  short  as  was  the  time  for 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS,  95 

the  news  to  have  gone  so  far.  The  circumstance  that  the  canoes 
had  come  from  the  northward  was  against  the  inference,  how- 
ever, and  after  musing  a  minute  on  the  facts,  le  Bourdon  men- 
tioned this  objection  to  his  companion. 

"Are  we  certain  these  are  the  same  canoes  as  those  which  I 
saw  pass  this  afternoon?"  asked  Margery,  who  comprehended 
the  difficulty  in  an  instant.  "  Of  those  I  saw,  two  passed  first, 
and  one  followed  ;  while  here  are  four  that  have  landed." 

"  What  you  say  may  he  true  enough.  We  are  not  to  sup- 
pose that  the  canoes  you  saw  pass  are  all  that  are  on  the  lake. 
But  let  the  savages  be  whom  they  may,  prudence  tells  us  to 
keep  clear  of  them  if  we  can  ;  and  this  more  so  than  ever,  now 
I  can  see  that  Pigeonswing,  who  I  know  to  be  an  American 
Injin,  is  treated  by  them  as  an  enemy." 

"How  are  the  savages  employed  now,  Bourdon?  Do  they 
prepare  to  eat,  or  do  they  torture  their  prisoner  ?" 

"No  fear  of  their  attempting  the  last  to-night.  There  is  an 
uneasiness  about  them,  as  if  they  still  smelt  the  liquor ;  but  some 
are  busy  cooking  at  the  fire.  I  would  give  all  my  honey,  pretty 
Margery,  to  be  able  to  save  Pigeonswing !  He  is  a  good  fellow 
for  a  savage,  and  his  heart  and  hand  with  us  in  this  new  war, 
that  he  tells  me  has  begun  between  us  and  the  English  I" 

"  You  surely  would  not  risk  your  own  life  to  save  a  savage, 
who  kills  and  scalps  at  random,  as  this  man  has  done  !" 

"  In  that  he  has  but  followed  the  habits  of  his  color  and  race. 
I  dare  say  we  do  things  that  are  quite  as  bad,  according  to  In- 
jin ways  of  thinking.  I  do  believe,  Margery,  was  that  man  to 
see  me  in  the  hands  of  the  Pottawattamies,  as  I  now  see  Mm, 
he  would  undertake  something  for  my  relief." 

"  But  what  can  you,  a  single  man,  do  when  there  are  twenty 
against  you  V  asked  Margery,  a  little  reproachfully  as  to  man- 
ner, speaking  like  one  who  had  more  interest  in  the  safety  of 
the  young  bee-hunter  than  she  chose  very  openly  to  express. 

"  'No  one  can  say  what  he  can  do  till  he  tries.  I  do  not  like 
the  way  they  are  treating  that  Chippewa,  for  it  looks  as  if  they 
meant  to  do  him  harm.     He  is  neither  fed,  nor  suffered  to  bu 


96  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

with  his  masters ;  but  there  the  poor  fellow  is,  bound  hand  and 
foot  near  the  cabin  door,  and  lashed  to  a  tree.  They  do  not 
even  give  him  the  relief  of  suffering  him  to  sit  down." 

The  gentle  heart  of  Margery  was  touched  by  this  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  captive  was  treated,  and  she  inquired 
into  other  particulars  concerning  his  situation,  with  a  more 
marked  interest  than  she  had  previously  manifested  in  his  state. 
The  bee-hunter  answered  her  questions  as  they  were  put ;  and 
the  result  was  to  place  the  girl  in  possession  of  a  minute  detail 
of  the  true  manner  in  which  Pigeonswing  was  treated. 

Although  there  was  probably  no  intention  on  the  part  of  the 
captors  of  the  Chippewa  to  torture  him  before  his  time,  tortured 
he  must  have  been  by  the  manner  in  which  his  limbs  and  body 
wTere  confined.  Not  only  were  his  arms  fastened  behind  his 
back  at  the  elbows,  but  the  hands  were  also  tightly  bound  to- 
gether in  front.  The  legs  had  ligatures  in  two  places,  just  above 
the  knees  and  just  below  the  ancles.  Around  the  body  was 
another  fastening,  which  secured  the  captive  to  a  beech  that 
stood  about  thirty  feet  from  the  door  of  the  cabin,  and  so  near- 
ly in  a  line  with  the  fire  within  and  the  look-out  of  le  Bourdon, 
as  to  enable  the  last  distinctly  to  note  these  particulars,  aided 
as  he  was  by  his  glass.  Relying  on  the  manner  in  which  they 
secured  their  prisoner,  the  savages  took  little  heed  of  him  ;  but- 
each  appeared  bent  on  attending  to  his  own  comfort,  by  means 
of  a  good  supper,  and  by  securing  a  dry  lair  in  which  to  pass 
the  night.  All  this  le  Bourdon  saw  and  noted  too,  ere  he 
dropped  lightly  on  his  feet  by  the  side  of  Margery,  at  the  root 
of  the  tree. 

Without  losing  time  that  was  precious,  the  bee-hunter  went 
at  once  to  the  canoes  and  communicated  his  intention  to  War- 
ing. The  moon  had  now  set,  and  the  night  was  favorable  to 
the  purposes  of  le  Bourdon.  At  the  first  glance  it  might  seem 
wisest  to  wait  until  sleep  had  fallen  upon  the  savages,  ere  any 
attempt  were  made  to  approach  the  hut ;  but  Boden  reasoned 
differently.  A  general  silence  would  succeed  as  soon  as  the 
savages  disposed  of  themselves  to  sleep,  which  would  be  much 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  97 

more  likely  to  allow  his  footsteps  to  be  overheard,  than  when 
tongues  and  bodies  and  teeth  were  all  in  active  movement.  A 
man  who  eats  after  a  long  march,  or  a  severe  paddling,  usually 
concentrates  his  attention  on  his  food,  as  le  Bourdon  knew  by 
long  experience ;  and  it  is  a  much  better  moment  to  steal  upon 
the  hungry  and  weary,  to  do  so  when  they  feed,  than  to  do  so 
when  they  sleep,  provided  any  thing  like  a  watch  be  kept. 
That  the  Pottawattamie  would  neglect  this  latter  caution  le 
Bourdon  did  not  believe  ;  and  his  mind  was  made  up,  not  only 
to  attempt  the  rescue  of  his  Chippewa  friend,  but  to  attempt  it 
at  once. 

After  explaining  his  plan  in  a  few  words,  and  requesting 
Waring's  assistance,  le  Bourdon  took  a  solemn  leave  of  the 
party,  and  proceeded  at  once  toward  the  hut.  In  order  to  un- 
derstand the  movements  of  the  bee-hunter,  it  may  be  well  now 
briefly  to  explain  the  position  of  the  chiente,  and  the  nature  of 
the  ground  on  which  the  adventurer  was  required  to  act.  The 
hut  stood  on  a  low  and  somewhat  abrupt  swell,  being  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  land  so  low  as  to  be  in  many  places  wet  and 
swampy.  There  were  a  good  many  trees  on  the  knoll,  and 
several  thickets  of  alders  and  otner  bushes  on  the  lower  ground  ; 
but,  on  the  whole,  the  swamps  were  nearly  devoid  of  what  is 
termed  " timber."  Two  sides  of  the  knoll  were  abrupt;  that 
on  which  the  casks  had  been  rolled  into  the  lake,-  and  that 
opposite,  which  was  next  to  the  tree  where  Boden  had  so  long 
been  watching  the  proceedings  of  the  savages.  The  distance 
between  the  hut  and  this  tree  was  somewhat  less  than  a  mile. 
The  intervening  ground  was  low,  and  most  of  it  was  marshy ; 
though  it  was  possible  to  cross  the  marsh  by  following  a  partic- 
ular course.  Fortunately  this  course,  which  was  visible  to  the 
eye  by  daylight,  and  had  been  taken  by  the  fugitives  on  quit- 
ting the  hut,  might  be  dimly  traced  at  night  by  one  who  under- 
stood the  ground,  by  means  of  certain  trees  and  bushes,  that- 
formed  so  many  finger-posts  for  the  traveller.  Unless  this  par- 
ticular route  were  taken,  however,  a  circuit  of  three  or  four 
miles  must  be  made,  in  order  to  pass  from  the  chiente  to  the 
5 


98  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

spot  where  the  family  had  taken  ref age.  As  le  Bourdon  had 
crossed  this  firm  ground  by  daylight,  and  had  observed  it  well 
from  his  tree,  he  thought  himself  enough  of  a  guide  to  find  his 
way  through  it  in  the  dark,  aided  by  the  marks  just  mentioned. 

The  bee-hunter  had  got  as  far  as  the  edge  of  the  marsh  on 
his  way  toward  the  hut,  when,  pausing  an  instant  to  examine 
the  priming  of  his  rifle,  he  fancied  that  he  heard  a  light  focl- 
step  behind  him.  Turning,  quick  as  thought,  he  perceived 
that  pretty  Margery  had  followed  him  thus  far.  Although  time 
pressed,  he  could  not  part  from  the  girl  without  showing  that 
he  appreciated  the  interest  she  manifested  in  his  behalf.  Tak- 
ing her  hand,  therefore,  he  spoke  with  a  simplicity  and  truth, 
that  imparted  to  his  manner  a  natural  grace  that  one  bred  in 
courts  might  have  envied.  What  was  more,  with  a  delicacy 
that  few  in  course  would  deem  necessary  under  the  circum- 
stances, he  did  not  in  his  language  so  much  impute  to  concern 
on  his  own  account  this  movement  of  Margery's,  as  to  that  she 
felt  for  her  brother  and  sister ;  though  in  his  inmost  heart  a 
throbbing  hope  prevailed  that  he  had  his  share  in  it. 

"  Do  not  be  troubled  on  account  of  Gershom  and  his  wife, 
pretty  Margery,"  said  the  bee-hunter,  "  which,  as  I  perceive,  is 
the  main  reason  why  you  have  come  here ;  and  as  for  myself, 
be  certain  that  I  shall  not  forget  who  I  have  left  behind,  and 
how  much  her  safety  depends  on  my  prudence." 

Margery  was  pleased,  though  a  good  deal  confused.  It  was 
new  to  her  to  hear  allusions  of  this  sort,  but  nature  supplied  the 
feeling  to  appreciate  them. 

"Is  it  not  risking  too  much,  Bourdon?"  she  said.  "Are 
you  sure  of  being  able  to  find  the  crossing  in  the  marsh,  in  a 
night  so  very  dark  ?  I  do  not  know  but  looking  so  long  at  the 
bright  light  in  the  cabin  may  blind  mo,  but  it  does  seem  as  if  I 
never  saw  a  darker  night !?.' 

' '  The  darkness  increases,  for  the  star-light  is  gone  ;  but  I 
can  see  where  I  go,  and  so  long  as  I  can  do  that  there  is  not 
much  fear  of  losing  my  way.  I  do  not  like  to  expose  you  to 
danger,  but — " 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  90 

M  Never  mind  me,  Bourdon — set  me  to  do  any  thing  in  which 
you  think  I  can  be  of  use  !"  exclaimed  the  girl,  eagerly. 

"  Well  then,  Margery,  you  may  do  this:  come  with  me  tc 
the  large  tree  in  the  centre  of  the  marsh,  and  I  will  set  you  on 
a  duty  that  may  possibly  save  my  life.  I  will  tell  you  my 
meaning  when  there." 

Margery  followed  with  a  light,  impatient  step  ;  and,  as  nei- 
ther stopped  to  speak  or  to  look  around,  the  two  soon  stood 
beneath  the  tree  in  question.  It  was  a  large  elm  that  complete- 
ly overshadowed  a  considerable  extent  of  firm  ground.  Here  a 
full  and  tolerably  near  view  could  be  had  of  the  hut,  which 
was  still  illuminated  by  the  blazing  fire  within.  For  a  minute 
both  stood  silently  gazing  at  the  strange  scene  ;  then  le  Bour- 
don explained  to  his  companion  the  manner  in  which  she  might 
assist  him. 

Once  at  the  elm,  it  was  not  so  difficult  to  find  the  way  across 
the  marsh,  as  it  was  to  reach  that  spot,  coming  from  the 
chiente.  As  there  were  several  elms  scattered  about  in  the 
centre  of  the  marsh,  the  bee-hunter  was  fearful  that  he  might 
not  reach  the  right  tree  ;  in  which  case  he  would  be  compelled 
to  retrace  his  steps,  and  that  at  the  imminent  hazard  of  being- 
captured.  He  carried  habitually  a  small  *dark  lantern,  and  had 
thought  of  so  disposing  of  it  in  the  lower  branches  of  this  very 
elm,  as  to  form  a  focus  of  it,  but  hesitated  about  doing  that 
which  might  prove  a  guide  to  his  enemies  as  well  as  to  himself. 
If  Margery  would  take  charge  of  this  lantern,  he  could  hope  to 
reap  its  advantages  without  incurring  the  hazard  of  having  a 
light  suspended  in  the  tree  for  any  length  of  time.  Margery 
understood  the  lessons  she  received,  and  promised  to  obey  all 
the  injunctions  by  which  they  were  accompanied. 

"Now,  God  bless  you,  Margery,"  added  the  bee-hunter, 
'Providence  has  brought  me  and  your  brother's  family  to- 
gether in  troublesome  times  ;  should  I  get  back  safe  from  this 
adventure,  I  shall  look  upon  it  as  a  duty  to  do  all  I  can  to  help 
Gershom  place  his  wife  and  sister  beyond  the  reach  of  harm." 

"God  bless  you,  Bourdon  !"  half  whispered  the  agitated  girl. 


100  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

"I  know  it  is  worth  some  risk  to  save  a  human  life,  even 
though  it  be  that  of  an  Injin,  and  I  will  not  try  to  persuade  you 
from  this  undertaking ;  but  do  not  attempt  more  than  is  neces- 
sary, and  rely  on  my  using  the  lantern  just  as  you  have  told  me 
to  use  it." 

Those  young  persons  had  not  yet  known  each  other  a  single 
day,  yet  both  felt  that  confidence  which  years  alone,  in  the 
crowds  of  the  world,  can  ordinarily  create  in  the  human  mind. 
The  cause  of  the  sympathy  which  draws  heart  to  heart,  which 
generates  friendships,  and  love,  and  passionate  attachments,  is 
not  obvious  to  all  who  choose  to  talk  of  it.  There  is  yet  a 
profound  mystery  in  our  organization,  which  has  hitherto  es- 
caped the  researches  of  both  classes  of  philosophers,  and  which 
it  probably  was  the  design  of  the  Creator  should  not  be  made 
known  to  us  until  we  draw  nearer  to  that  great  end  which, 
sooner  or  later,  is  to  be  accomplished  in  behalf  of  our  race, 
when  "  knowledge  will  abound,"  and  we  shall  better  under- 
stand our  being  and  its  objects,  than  is  permitted  to  us  in  this 
our  day  of  ignorance.  But  while  we  cannot  trace  the  causes 
of  a  thousand  things,  we  know  and  feel  their  effects.  Among 
the  other  mysteries  of  our  nature  is  this  of  sudden  and  strong 
sympathies,  which,  as  between  men  for  men,  and  women  for 
women,  awaken  confidence  and  friendship ;  and  as  between 
those  of  different  sexes,  excite  passionate  attachments  that  more 
or  less  color  their  future  lives.  The  great  delineator  of  our 
common  nature,  in  no  one  of  the  many  admirable  pictures  he 
has  drawn  of  men,  manifests  a  more  profound  knowledge  of  his 
subject,  than  in  that  in  which  he  portrays  the  sudden  and 
nearly  ungovernable  inclination  which  Romeo  and  Juliet  are 
made  to  display  for  each  other ;  an  inclination  that  sets  reason, 
habit,  prejudice,  and  family  enmities,  at  defiance.  That  such 
an  attachment  is  to  be  commended,  we  do  not  say ;  that  all  can 
feel  it,  we  do  not  believe  ;  that  connections  formed  under  its 
influence  can  always  be  desirable,  we  are  far  from  thinking  : 
but  that  it  may  exist  we  believe  is  just  as  certain  as  any  of  the 
incomprehensible  laws  of  our  wayward  and  yet  admirable  nature. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  101 

We  have  no  Veronese  tale  to  relate  here,  however,  but  simply 
a  homely  legend,  in  which  human  feeling  may  occasionally  be 
made  to  bear  an  humble  resemblance  to  that  world-renowned 
picture  which  had  its  scenes  in  the  beautiful  capital  of  Vene- 
tian Lombardy. 

When  le  Bourdon  left  his  companion,  now  so  intensely  inter- 
ested in  his  success,  to  pick  his  way  in  the  darkness  across  the 
remainder  of  the  marsh,  Margery  retired  behind  the  tree,  where 
the  first  thing  she  did  was  to  examine  her  lantern,  and  to  see 
that  its  light  was  ready  to  perform  the  very  important  office 
which  might  so  speedily  be  required  of  it.  Satisfied  on  this 
point,  she  turned  her  eyes  anxiously  in  the  direction  of  the  hut. 
By  this  time  every  trace  of  the  bee-hunter  was  lost,  the  hillock 
in  his  front  forming  too  dark  a  background  to  admit  of  his 
being  seen.  But  the  fire  still  blazed  in  the  chiente,  the  savages 
not  having  yet  finished  their  cooking,  though  several  had  satis- 
fied their  appetites,  and  had  already  sought  places  where  they 
might  stretch  themselves  for  the  night.  Margery  was  glad  to 
see  that  these  last  individuals  bestowed  themselves  within  the 
influence  of  the  fire,  warm  as  was  the  night.  This  was  done 
most  probably  to  escape  from  the  annoyance  of  the  mosquitos, 
more  or  less  of  which  are  usually  found  in  the  low  lands  of  the 
new  countries,  and  near  the  margins  of  rivers. 

Margery  could  distinctly  see  the  Chippewa,  erect  and  bound 
to  his  tree.  On  him  she  principally  kept  her  looks  riveted,  for 
near  his  person  did  she  expect  first  again  to  find  the  bee-hunter. 
Indeed,  there  was  no  chance  of  seeing  one  who  was  placed 
beneath  the  light  of  the  fire,  since  the  brow  of  the  acclivity 
formed  a  complete  cover,  throwing  all  below  it  into  deep  shade. 
This  circumstance  was  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  adven- 
turer, however,  enabling  him  to  steal  quite  near  to  his  friend, 
favored  by  a  darkness  that  was  getting  to  be  intense.  Quitting 
Margery,  we  will  now  rejoin  le  Bourdon,  who  by  this  time  was 
approaching  his  goal. 

The  bee-hunter  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  his  way  across 
the  marsh ;  but  floundering  through  the  impediments,  and  on 


102  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

the  whole  preserving  the  main  direction,  he  got  out  on  the  firm 
ground  quite  as  soon  as  he  had  expected  to  do.  It  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  use  extreme  caution.  The  Indians  according 
to  their  custom  had  dogs,  two  of  which  had  been  in  sight,  lying 
about  half-way  between  the  prisoner  and  the  door  of  the  hut. 
Boden  had  seen  a  savage  feeding  these  dogs  ;  and  it  appeared 
to  him  at  the  time  as  if  the  Indian  had  been  telling  them  to  be 
watchful  of  the  Chippewa.  He  well  knew  the  services  that 
the  red  men  expected  of  these  animals,  which  are  kept  rather 
as  sentinels  than  for  any  great  use  they  put  them  to  in  the 
hunts.  An  Indian  dog  is  quick  enough  to  give  the  alarm, 
and  lie  will  keep  on  a  trail  for  a  long  run  and  with  considerable 
accuracy,  but  it  is  seldom  that  he  closes  and  has  his  share  in  the 
death,  unless  in  the  case  of  very  timid  and  powerless  creatures. 
Nevertheless,  the  presence  of  these  dogs  exacted  extra  cau- 
tion in  the  movements  of  the  bee-hunter.  He  had  ascended 
the  hill  a  little  out  of  the  stream  of  light  which  still  issued  from 
the  open  door  of  the  hut,  and  was  soon  high  enough  to  get  a 
good  look  at  the  state  of  things  on  the  bit  of  level  land 
around  the  cabin.  Fully  one-half  of  the  savages  were  yet  up 
and  in  motion*,  though  the  processes  of  cooking  and  eating 
were  by  this  time  nearly  ended.  These  men  had  senses  almost 
as  acute  as  those  of  their  dogs,  and  it  was  very  necessary  to  be 
on  his  guard  against  them  also.  By  moving  with  the  utmost 
caution,  le  Bourdon  reached  the  edge  of  the  line  of  light,  where 
he  was  within  ten  yards  of  the  captive.  Here  he  placed  his 
rifle  against  a  small  tree,  and  drew  his  knife,  in  readiness  to  cut 
the  prisoner's  thongs.  Three  several  times,  while  the  bee-hunter 
was  making  these  preparations,  did  the  two  dogs  raise  their 
heads  and  scent  the  air  ;  once,  the  oldest  of  the  two  gave  a 
deep  and  most  ominous  growl.  Singular  as  it  may  seem,  thio 
last  indication  of  giving  the  alarm  was  of  great  service  to  le 
Bourdon  and  the  Chippewa.  The  latter  heard  the  growl,  and 
saw  two  of  the  movements  of  the  animals'  heads,  from  all  which 
he  inferred  that  there  was  some  creature,  or  some  danger  behind 
him.     This  naturally  enough  induced  him  to  bestow  a  keen 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  103 

attention  in  that  direction,  and  being  unable  to  turn  body, 
limbs,  or  head,  the  sense  of  hearing  was  his  only  means  of 
watchfulness.  It  was  while  in  this  state  of  profound  listening 
that  Pigeonswing  fancied  he  heard  his  own  name,  in  such  a 
whisper  as  one  raises  when  he  wishes  to  call  from  a  short  dis- 
tance with  the  least  possible  expenditure  of  voice.  Presently 
the  words  u  Pigeonswing,"  and  "  Chippewa,"  were  succeeded 
by  those  of  "bee-hunter,"  " Bourdon."  This  was  enough: 
the  quick-witted  warrior  made  a  low  ejaculation,  such  as  might 
be  mistaken  for  a  half- suppressed  murmur  that  proceeded  from 
pain,  but  which  one  keenly  on  the  watch,  and  who  was  striving 
to  communicate  with  him,  would  be  apt  to  understand  as  a 
sign  of  attention.  The  whispering  then  ceased  altogether,  and 
the  prisoner  waited  the  result  with  the  stoic  patience  of  an 
American  Indian.  A  minute  later  the  Chippewa  felt  the  thongs 
giving  way,  and  his  arms  were  released  at  the  elbows.  An  arm 
was  next  passed  round  his  body,  and  the  fastenings  at  the  wrist 
were  cut.  At  this  instant  a  voice  whispered  in  his  ear — "  Be 
of  good  heart,  Chippewa — your  friend,  Bourdon,  is  here.  Can 
you  stand  f? 

"No  stand,"  answered  the  Indian  in  a  low  whisper — "'too 
much  tie." 

At  the  next  moment  the  feet  of  the  Chippewa  were  released, 
as  were  also  his  knees.  Of  all  the  fastenings  none  now  remained 
but  that  which  bound  the  captive  to  the  tree.  In  not  cutting 
this,  the  bee-hunter  manifested  his  coolness  and  judgment ;  for 
were  the  stout  rope  of  bark  severed,  the  Indian  would  have 
fallen  like  a  log,  from  total  inability  to  stand.  His  thongs  had 
impeded  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  and  the  usual  temporary 
paralysis  had  been  the  consequence.  Pigeonswing  understood 
the  reason  of  his  friend's  forbearance,  and  managed  to  rub  his 
hands  and  wrists  together,  while  the  bee-hunter  himself  applied 
friction  to  his  feet,  by  passing  his  own  arms  around  the  bottom  of 
the  tree.  The  reader  may  imagine  the  intense  anxiety  of  Mar- 
gery the  while ;  for  she  witnessed  the  arrival  of  le  Bourdon  at  the 
tree,  and  could  not  account  for  the  long  delay  which  succeeded 


104  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

All  this  time,  the  dogs  were  far  from  being  quiet  or  satisfied. 
Their  masters,  accustomed  to  being  surrounded  at  night  by 
wolves  and  foxes,  or  other  beasts,  took  little  heed,  however,  ot 
the  discontent  of  these  creatures,  which  were  in  the  habit  of 
growling  in  their  lairs.  The  bee-hunter,  as  he  kept  rubbing  at 
his  friend's  legs,  felt  now  but  little  apprehension  of  the  dogs, 
though  a  new  source  of  alarm  presented  itself  by  the  time  the 
Chippewa  was  barely  able  to  sustain  his  weight  on  his  feet,  and 
long  before  he  could  use  them  with  any  thing  like  his  former 
agility.  The  manner  in  which  the  savages  came  together  in 
the  hut,  and  the  gestures  made  by  their  chief,  announced  pretty 
plainly  that  a  watch  was  about  to  be  set  for  the  night.  As  it 
was  probable  that  the  sentinel  would  take  his  station  near  the 
prisoner,  the  bee-hunter  was  at  a  loss  to  decide  whether  it  were 
better  to  commence  the  flight  before  or  after  the  rest  of  the 
savages  were  in  their  lairs.  Placing  his  mouth  as  close  to  the 
ear  of  Pigeonswing  as  could  be  done  without  bringing  his  head 
into  the  light,  the  following  dialogue  passed  between  le  Bourdon 
and  the  captive. 

"Do  you  see,  Chippewa,"  the  bee-hunter  commenced,  "the 
chief  is  telling  one  of  the  young  men  to  come  and  keep  guard 
near  you  V 

"  See  him,  well  'nough.     Make  too  many  sign,  no  to  see." 

"What  think  you — shall  we  wait  till  the  warriors  are  asleep, 
or  try  to  be  off  before  the  sentinel  comes  ?" 

"  Bess  wait,  if  one  t'ing.  You  got  rifle — got  tomahawk — 
got  knife,  eh?" 

"I  have  them  all,  though  my  rifle  is  a  short  distance  behind 
me,  and  a  little  down  the  hill." 

"Dat  bad — nebber  let  go  rifle  on  war-path.  Well,  you 
tomahawk  him — /scalp  him — dat  '11  do." 

"I  shall  kill  no  man,  Chippewa,  unless  there  is  great  oc- 
casion for  it.  If  there  is  no  other  mode  of  getting  you  off,  I 
shall  choose  to  cut  this  last  thong,  and  leave  you  to  take  care 
of  yourself." 

"Give  him  tomahawk,  den — give  him  knife,  too." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


105 


"  Not  for  such  a  purpose.  I  do  not  like  to  shed  blood  with- 
out a  good  reason  for  it." 

"  No  call  war  good  reason,  eh  ?  Bess  reason  in  world.  Potta- 
wattamie dig  up  hatchet  ag'in  Great  Fadder  at  Wash'ton — dat 
no  good  reason  why  take  his  scalp,  eh  ?" 

In  whispering  these  last  words  the  Chippewa  used  so  much 
energy,  that  the  dogs  again  raised  their  heads  from  between 
their  forepaws  and  growled.  Almost  at  that  instant  the  chief 
and  his  few  remaining  wakeful  companions  laid  themselves 
down  to  sleep,  and  the  young  warrior  designated  as  the  sentinel 
left  the  hut  and  came  slowly  toward  the  prisoner.  The  cir- 
cumstances admitted  of  no  delay ;  le  Bourdon  pressed  the  keen 
edge  of  his  knife  across  the  withe  that  bound  the  Indian  to  the 
tree  ;  first  giving  him  notice,  in  order  that  he  might  be  prepar- 
ed to  sustain  his  own  weight.  This  done,  the  bee-hunter 
dropped  on  the  ground,  crawling  away  out  of  the  light ;  though 
the  brow  of  the  hill  almost  immediately  formed  a  screen  to  con- 
ceal his  person  from  all  near  the  hut.  In  another  instant  Le 
had  regained  his  rifle,  and  was  descending  swiftly  toward  the 
crossing  at  the  marsh. 


:^U  J/' 


^^ 


100  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  We  call  thein  savage — oh,  be  just ! 
Their  outraged  feelings  scan ; 
A  voice  comes  forth,  'tis  from  the  dust — 
The  savage  was  a  man  V 

Sprague. 

As  soon  as  le  Bourdon  reached  the  commencement  of  that 
which  might  be  called  his  path  across  the  marsh,  he  stopped 
and  looked  backward.  He  was  now  sufficiently  removed  from 
the  low  acclivity  to  see  objects  on  its  summit,  and  had  no  dif- 
ficulty in  discerning  all  that  the  waning  fire  illuminated.  There 
stood  the  Chippewa  erect  against  the  tree  as  if  still  bound  with 
thongs,  while  the  sentinel  was  slowly  approaching  him.  The 
dogs  were  on  their  feet,  and  gave  two  or  three  sharp  barks, 
which  had  the  effect  to  cause  five  or  six  of  the  savages  to  lift 
their  heads  in  their  lairs.  One  arose  even  and  threw  an  armful 
of  dried  branches  on  the  fire,  producing  a  bright  blaze,  that 
brought  every  thing  around  the  hut,  and  which  the  light  could 
touch,  into  full  view. 

The  bee-hunter  was  astonished  at  the  immovable  calmness 
with  which  Pigeonswing  still  stood  to  his  tree,  awaiting  the  ap- 
proach of  the  sentinel.  In  a  few  moments  the  latter  was  at  his 
side.  At  first  the  Pottawattamie  did  not  perceive  that  the 
prisoner  was  unbound.  He  threw  him  into  shadow  by  his 
own  person,  and  it  required  a  close  look  to  note  the  circum- 
stance. Boden  was  too  far  from  the  spot  to  see  all  the  minor 
movements  of  the  parties,  but  there  was  soon  a  struggle  that 
could  not  be  mistaken.  As  the  Pottawattamie  was  examining 
the  prisoner,  an  exclamation  that  escaped  him  betrayed  the 
sudden  consciousness  that  the  Chippewa  was  unbound.     The 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  107 

sound  was  no  sooner  uttered  than  Pigconswing  made  a  grasp 
at  the  sentinel's  knife,  which  however  he  did  not  obtain,  when 
the  two  closed  and  fell,  rolling  down  the  declivity  into  the 
darkness.  When  the  Pottawattamie  seized  the  Chippewa,  he 
uttered  a  yell,  which  instantly  brought  every  man  of  his  party 
to  his  feet.  As  the  savages  now  united  in  the  whoops,  and  the 
dogs  began  to  bark  wildly,  an  infernal  clamor  was  made. 

At  first,  le  Bourdon  did  not  know  how  to  act.  He  greatly 
feared  the  dogs,  and  could  not  but  think  of  Margery,  and  the 
probable  consequences,  should  those  sagacious  animals  follow 
him  across  the  marsh.  But  he  did  not  like  the  idea  of  aban- 
doning Pigeonswing,  when  a  single  blow  of  his  arm,  or  a  kick  of 
his  foot,  might  be  the  cause  of  his  escape.  While  deliberating 
in  painful  uncertainty,  the  sounds  of  the  struggle  ceased,  and 
he  saw  the  sentinel  rising  again  into  the  light,  limping  like  one 
who  had  suffered  by  a  fall.  Presently  he  heard  a  footstep  near 
him,  and,  calling  in  a  low  voice,  he  was  immediately  joined  by 
Pigeons  wing.  Before  the  bee-hunter  was  aware  of  his  intention, 
the  Chippewa  seized  his  rifle,  and  levelling  at  the  sentinel,  who 
still  stood  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  drawn  in  all  his  savage  out- 
lines distinctly  in  the  light  of  the  flames,  he  fired.  The  cry, 
the  leap  into  the  air,  and  the  fall,  announced  the  unerring 
character  of  the  aim.  In  coming  to  the  earth,  the  wounded 
man  fell  over  the  brow  of  the  sharp  acclivity,  and  was  heard 
rolling  toward  its  base. 

Le  Bourdon  felt  the  importance  of  now  improving  the  precious 
moments,  and  was  in  the  act  of  urging  his  companion  to  follow, 
when  the  latter  passed  an  arm  around  his  body,  whipped  his 
knife  from  the  girdle  and  sheath,  and  dropping  the  rifle  into  his 
friend's  arms,  bounded  away  in  the  darkness,  taking  the  di- 
rection of  his  fallen  enemy.  There  .was  no  mistaking  all  this ; 
Chippewa,  led  by  his  own  peculiar  sense  of  honor,  risking  every 
thing  to  obtain  the  usual  trophy  of  victory.  By  this  time,  a 
dozen  of  the  savages  stood  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  seemingly 
at  a  loss  to  understand  what  had  become  of  the  combatants. 
Perceiving  this,  the  bee-hunter  profited  by  the  delay  and  re- 


108  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

loaded  his  rifle.  As  every  thing  passed  almost  as  swiftly  as 
the  electric  spark  is  known  to  travel,  it  was  but  a  moment  after 
the  Pottawattamie  fell  ere  his  conqueror  was  through  with  his 
bloody  task.  Just  as  le  Bourdon  threw  his  rifle  up  into  the 
hollow  of  his  arm,  he  was  rejoined  by  his  red  friend,  who  bore 
the  reeking  scalp  of  the  sentinel  at  his  belt ;  though  fortunately 
the  bee-hunter  did  not  see  it  on  account  of  the  obscurity,  else 
might  he  not  have  been  so  willing  to  continue  to  act  with  so 
ruthless  an  ally. 

Further  stay  was  out  of  the  question  ;  for  the  Indians  were 
now  collected  in  a  body  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  where  the 
chief  was  rapidly  issuing  his  orders.  In  a  minute  the  band  dis- 
persed, every  man  bounding  into  the  darkness,  as  if  aware  of  the 
danger  of  remaining  within  the  influence  of  the  bright  light 
thrown  from  the  fire.  Then  came  such  a  clamor  from  the 
dogs,  as  left  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  the  bee-hunter  that  they 
had  scented  and  found  the  remains  of  the  fallen  man.  A  fierce 
yell  came  from  the  same  spot,  the  proof  that  some  of  the 
savages  had  already  discovered  the  body ;  and  le  Bourdon  told 
his  companion  to  follow,  taking  his  way  across  the  marsh  as 
fast  as  he  could  overcome  the  difficulties  of  the  path. 

It  has  already  been  intimated  that  it  was  not  easy,  if  indeed 
it  were  possible,  to  cross  that  piece  of  low  wet  land  in  a  direct 
line.  There  was  tolerably  firm  ground  on  it,  but  it  lay  in  an 
irregular  form,  its  presence  being  -generally  to  be  noted  by  the 
growth  of  trees.  Le  Bourdon  had  been  very  careful  in  taking 
his  landmarks,  foreseeing  the  probability  of  a  hasty  retreat, 
and  he  had  no  difficulty  for  some  time  in  keeping  in  the  right 
direction.  But  the  dogs  soon  left  the  dead  body,  and  came 
bounding  across  the  marsh,  disregarding  its  difficulties  ;  though 
their  plunges  and  yells  soon  made  it  apparent  that  even  they 
did  not  escape  altogether  with  dry  feet.  As  for  the  savages, 
they  poured  down  the  declivity  in  a  stream,  taking  the  dogs 
as  their  guides  ;  and  safe  ones  they  might  well  be  accounted,  so 
far  as  the  scent  was  concerned,  though  tlwy  did  not  happen  to  be 
particularly  well  acquainted  with  all  the  difficulties  of  the  path. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  109 

At  length  le  Bourdon  paused,  causing  his  companion  to  stop 
also.  In  the  hurry  and  confusion  of  the  flight,  the  former  had 
lost  his  landmarks,  finding  himself  amidst  a  copse  of  small 
trees,  or  large  bushes,  but  not  in  the  particular  copse  he  sought. 
Every  effort  to  get  out  of  this  thicket,  except  by  the  way  he 
had  entered  it,  proved  abortive,  and  the  dogs  were  barking  at 
no  great  distance  in  his  rear.  It  is  true  that  these  animals  no 
longer  approached  :  for  they  were  floundering  in  the  mud  and 
water ;  but  their  throats  answered  every  purpose  to  lead  the 
pursuers  on,  and  the  low  calls  that  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth, 
let  the  pursued  understand  that  the  Pottawattamies  were  at 
their  heels,  if  not  absolutely  on  their  trail . 

The  crisis  demanded  both  discretion  and  decision ;  qualities 
in  which  the  bee-hunter,  with  his  forest  training,  was  not  likely 
to  be  deficient.  He  looked  out  for  the  path  by  which  he  had 
reached  the  unfortunate  thicket,  and  having  found  it,  commenc- 
ed a  retreat  by  the  way  he  had  come.  Nerve  was  needed  to 
move  almost  in  a  line  toward  the  dogs  and  their  masters ;  but 
the  nerve  was  forthcoming,  and  the  two  advanced  like  veterans 
expecting  the  fire  of  some  concealed  but  well-armed  battery. 
Presently,  le  Bourdon  stopped,  and  examined  the  ground  on 
which  he  stood. 

"  Here  we  must  turn,  Chippewa,"  he  said,  in  a  guarded  voice. 
"  This  is  the  spot  where  I  must  have  missed  my  way." 

"  Good  place  to  turn'bout,"  answered  the  Indian — "  dog  too 
near." 

"We  must  shoot  the  dogs  if  they  press  us  too  hard,"  return- 
ed the  bee-hunter,  leading  off  rapidly,  now  secure  in  the  right 
direction.  "  They  seem  to  be  in  trouble,  just  at  this  time  ;  but 
animals  like  them  will  soon  find  their  way  across  this  marsh." 

"Bess  shoot  Pottawattamie,"  coolly  returned  Pigeonswing. 
"Pottawattamie  got  capital  scalp — dog's  ears  no  good  for 
nuttin',  any  more." 

"Yonder,  I  believe,  is  the  tree  I  am  in  search  of!"  exclaimed 
le  Bourdon.  "  If  we  can  reach  that  tree,  I  think  all  will  go 
well  with  us." 


110  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

The  tree  was  readied,  and  the  bee-hunter  proceeded  to  make 
sure  of  his  course  from  that  point.  Removing  from  his  pouch 
a  small  piece  of  moistened  powder  that  he  had  prepared  ere  he 
liberated  the  Chippewa,  he  stuck  it  on  a  low  branch  of  the  tree 
he  was  under,  and  on  the  side  next  the  spot  where  he  had 
stationed  Margery.  When  this  was  done,  he  made  his  com- 
panion stand  aside,  and  lighting  some  spunk  with  his  flint  and 
steel,  he  fired  his  powder.  Of  course,  this  little  preparation 
burned  like  the  fireworks  of  a  boy,  making  sufficient  light, 
however,  to  be  seen  in  a  dark  night  for  a  mile  or  more.  No 
sooner  was  the  wetted  powder  hissing  and  throwing  off  its 
sparks,  than  the  bee-hunter  gazed  intently  into  the  now  seem- 
ingly tangible  obscurity  of  the  marsh.  A  bright  light  appeared 
and  vanished.  It  was  enough  ;  the  bee-hunter  threw  down  his 
own  signal  and  extinguished  it  with  his  foot ;  and,  as  he  wished, 
the  lantern  of  Margery  appeared  no  more.  Assured  now  of  the 
accuracy  of  his  position,  as  well  as  of  the  course  he  was  to  pur- 
sue, le  Bourdon  bade  his  companion  follow,  and  pressed  anew 
across  the  marsh.  A  tree  was  soon  visible,  and  toward  that 
particular  object  the  fugitives  steadily  pressed,  until  it  was 
reached.  At  the  next  instant  Margery  was  joined;  and  the 
bee-hunter  could  not  refrain  from  kissing  her,  in  the  excess  of 
his  pleasure. 

"  There  is  a  dreadful  howling  of  dogs,"  said  Margery,  feeling 
no  offence  at  the  liberty  taken,  in  a  moment  like  that,  "  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  a  whole  tribe  is  following  at  their  heels.  For 
Heaven's  sake,  Bourdon,  let  us  hasten  to  the  canoes  ;  brother 
and  sister  must  think  us  lost !" 

The  circumstances  pressed,  and  the  bee-hunter  took  Mar- 
gery's arm,  passing  it  through  one  of  his  own,  with  a  decided 
and  protecting  manner,  that  caused  the  girl's  heart  to  beat  with 
emotions  not  in  the  least  connected  with  fear,  leaving  an  im- 
pression of  pleasure  even  at  that  perilous  moment.  As  the 
distance  was  not  great,  the  three  were  soon  on  the  beach  and 
near  to  the  canoes.  Here  they  met  Dorothy,  alone,  and  pacing 
to  and  fro  like  a  person  distressed.     She  had  doubtless  heard 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  Ill 

the  clamor,  and  was  aware  that  the  savages  were  out  looking 
for  their  party.  As  Margery  met  her  sister,  she  saw  that  some- 
thing more  than  common  had  gone  wrong,  and  in  the  eager- 
ness of  her  apprehensions  she  did  not  scruple  about  putting  her 
questions. 

"What  has  become  of  brother?  "Where  is  Gershom?"  de- 
manded the  sensitive  girl,  at  once. 

The  answer  was  given  in  a  low  voice,  and  in  that  sort  of 
manner  with  which  woman  straggles  to  the  last  to  conceal  the 
delinquencies  of  him  she  loves. 

"  Gershom  is  not  himself,  just  now,"  half  whispered  the 
wife — "he  has  fallen  into  one  of  his  old  ways,  ag'in." 

u  Old  ways?"  slowly  repeated  the  sister,  dropping  her  own 
voice  to  tones  similar  to  those  in  which  the  unpleasant  news  had 
just  been  communicated.  "  How  is  that  possible,  now  that  all 
the  whiskey  is  emptied  V 

"  It  seems  that  Bourdon  had  a  jug  of  brandy  among  his 
stores,  and  Gershom  found  it  out.  I  blame  no  one  ;  for  Bour- 
don, who  never  abuses  the  gifts  of  Providence,  had  a  right  to 
his  comforts  at  least ;  but  it  is  a  pity  that  there  was  any  thing 
of  the  sort  in  the  canoes !" 

The  bee-hunter  was  greatly  concerned  at  this  unwelcome  in- 
telligence, feeling  all  its  importance  far  more  vividly  than  either 
of  his  companions.  They  regretted  as  women ;  but  he  fore- 
saw the  danger,  as  a  man  accustomed  to  exertion  in  trying 
scenes.  If  Whiskey  Centre  had  really  fallen  into  his  old  ways, 
so  as  to  render  himself  an  incumbrance,  instead  of  being  an 
assistant  at  such  a  moment,  the  fact  was  to  be  deplored,  but  it 
could  only  be  remedied  by  time.  Luckily  they  had  the  Indian 
with  them,  and  he  could  manage  one  of  the  canoes,  while  he 
himself  took  charge  of  the  other.  As  no  time  was  to  be  lost — 
the  barking  of  the  dogs  and  the  cries  of  the  savages  too  plainly 
letting  it  be  known  that  the  enemy  was  getting  through  the 
marsh  by  some  means  or  other — he  hurried  the  party  down  to 
the  canoes,  entering  that  of  "Whiskey  Centre  at  once. 

Le  Bourdon  found  Gershom  asleep,  but  with  the  heavy  slum- 


112  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

bcrs  of  the  drunkard.  Dolly  had  removed  the  jug  and  con- 
cealed it,  as  soon  as  the  state  of  her  husband  enabled  her  to  do 
so  without  incurring  his  violence.  Else  might  the  unfortunate 
man  have  destroyed  himself,  by  indulging  in  a  liquor  so  much 
more  palatable  than  that  he  was  accustomed  to  use,  after  so 
ong  and  compelled  an  abstinence.  The  jug  was  now  produced, 
however,  and  le  Bourdon  emptied  it  in  the  river,  to  the  great 
joy  of  the  two  females,  though  not  without  a  sharp  remon- 
strance from  the  Chippewa.  The  bee-hunter  was  steady,  and 
the  last  drop  of  the  liquor  of  Gascony  was  soon  mingling  with 
the  waters  of  the  Kalamazoo.  This  done,  the  bee-hunter  de- 
sired the  women  to  embark,  and  called  to  the  Chippewa  to  do 
the  same.  By  quitting  the  spot  in  the  canoes,  it  was  evident 
the  pursuers  would  be  balked,  temporarily  at  least,  since  they 
must  recross  the  marsh  in  order  to  get  into  their  own  boats, 
without  which  further  pursuit  would  be  fruitless. 

It  might  have  been  by  means  of  a  secret  sympathy,  or  it  was 
possibly  the  result  of  accident,  but  certain  it  is,  that  the  Chip- 
pewa was  placed  in  that  of  le  Bourdon.  As  for  Whiskey  Cen- 
tre, he  lay  like  a  log  in  the  bottom  of  his  own  light  bark,  cared 
for  only  by  his  affectionate  wTife,  who  had  made  a  pillow  for  his 
head ;  but,  fortunately,  if  no  assistance  just  then,  not  any 
material  hindrance  to  the  movements  of  his  friends.  By  the 
time  le  Bourdon  and  the  Chippewa  had  got  their  stations,  and 
the  canoes  were  free  of  the  bottom,  it  was  evident  by  the  sounds, 
that  not  only  the  dogs,  but  divers  of  their  masters,  had  floun- 
dered through  the  swamp,  and  were  already  on  the  firm  ground 
east  of  it.  As  the  dogs  ran  by  scent,  little  doubt  remained  of 
their  soon  leading  the  savages  down  to  the  place  of  embarka- 
tion. Aware  of  this,  the  bee-hunter  directed  the  Chippewa  to 
follow,  and  urged  his  own  canoe  away  from  the  shore,  follow- 
ing one  of  three  of  the  natural  channels  that  united  just  at  that 
point. 

The  clamor  now  sensibly  increased,  and  the  approach  of  the 
pursuers  was  much  faster  than  it  had  previously  been,  in  con- 
sequence of  there  no  longer  being  wet  land  beneath  their  feet. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  113 

At  the  distance  of  fifty  yards  from  the  shore,  however,  the 
channel,  or  open  avenue  among  the  rice-plants  that  the  canoes 
had  taken,  made  a  short  turn  to  the  northward;  for  all  the 
events  we  have  just  been  recording  occurred  on  the  northern, 
or  leeward  side  of  the  river.  Once  around  this  bend  in  the 
channel,  the  canoes  would  have  been  effectually  concealed  from 
those  on  the  beach,  had  it  even  been  broad  daylight,  and,  of 
course,  were  so  much  more  hidden  from  view  under  the  obscuri- 
ty of  a  very  dark  night.  Perceiving  this,  and  fearful  that  the 
dip  of  the  paddles  might  be  heard,  ie  Bourdon  ceased  to  urge 
his  canoe  through  the  water,  telling  the  Chippewa  to  imitate 
his  example,  and  let  the  boats  drift.  In  consequence  of  this 
precaution  the  fugitives  were  still  quite  near  the  shore  when, 
first,  the  dogs,  and  then  a  party  of  their  masters,  came  rushing 
down  to  the  very  spot  whence  the  canoes  had  departed  scarcely 
two  minutes  before.  As  no  precautions  were  taken  to  conceal 
the  advance  of  the  pursuers,  the  pursued,  or  the  individuals 
among  them  who  alone  understood  the  common  language  of 
the  great  Ojebway  nation  well,  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing 
and  understanding  all  that  was  said.  Le  Bourdon  had  brought 
the  two  canoes  together ;  and  the  Chippewa,  at  his  request,  now 
translated  such  parts  of  the  discourse  of  their  enemies  as  he 
deemed  worthy  of  communicating  to  the  females. 

"  Say,  now,  nobody  dere  !"  commenced  the  Indian,  coolly — 
"  Tink  he  no  great  way  oft — mean  to  look  for  him — t'ink  dog 
uneasy — won'er  why  dog  so  uneasy." 

a  Them  dogs  are  very  likely  to  scent  us  here  in  the  canoes, 
we  are  so  near  them,"  whispered  le  Bourdon. 

"  S'pose  he  do,  can't  catch  us,"  coolly  answered  the  Chippewa 
— "  beside,  shoot  him,  dont  take  care — bad  for  dog  to  chase 
warrior  too  much." 

"  There  is  one  speaking  now,  who  seems  to  have  au- 
thority." 

"  Yes — he  chief — know  he  voice — hear  him  too  often — he 
mean  to  put  Pigeonswing  to  torture.  Well,  let  him  catch 
Pigeonswing  fust — swift  bird  do  that,  eh  VI 


114  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"  But  what  says  he  ? — it  may  be  of  importance  to  learn  what 
the  chief  says,  just  now." 

"  Who  care  what  he  say — can't  do  nuttin' — if  get  good  chance, 
take  his  scalp,  too." 

"  Aye,  that  I  dare  say — but  he  is  speaking  earnestly,  and  in  a 
low  voice  ;  listen,  and  let  us  know  what  he  says.  I  do  not  well 
understand  at  this  distance." 

The  Chippewa  complied,  and  maintained  an  attentive  silence 
until  the  chief  ceased  to  speak.  Then  he  rendered  what  had 
been  said  into  such  English  as  he  could  command,  accompany- 
ing the  translation  by  the  explanations  that  naturally  suggested 
themselves  to  one  like  himself. 

"  Chief  talk  to  young  men,"  said  the  Chippewa — "  all  chief 
talk  to  young  men — tell  him  dat  Pigeonswing  must  get  off  in 
canoe — don't  see  canoe,  nudder — but,  muss  be  canoe,  else  he 
swim.  T'ink  more  than  one  Injin  here — don't  know,  dough — 
maybe,  maybe  not- — can't  tell,  till  see  trail,  morrow  mornin' — " 

"  Well,  well ;  but  what  does  he  tell  his  young  men  to  do  i?" 
demanded  the  bee-hunter,  impatiently. 

"  Don't  be  squaw,  Bourdon — tell  all  by'em  bye.  Tell  young 
men  s'pose  he  get  canoe,  den  he  may  get  our  canoe,  and  carry 
'em  off — s'pose  he  swim ;  clat  Chippewa  devil  swim  down 
stream  and  get  our  canoe  dat  fashion — bess  go  back,  some 
of  you,  and  see  arter  our  canoe — dat  what  he  tell  young 
men  most." 

"That  is  a  lucky  thought !"  exclaimed  le  Bourdon — " let  us 
paddle  down,  at  once,  and  seize  all  their  canoes  before  they  can 
get  there.  The  distance  by  water,  owing  to  this  bend  in  the 
river,  is  not  half  as  great  as  that  by  land,  and  the  marsh  will 
double  the  distance  to  them.-" 

"Dat  good  council!"  said  Pigeonswing — "you  go — I 
follow." 

This  was  no  sooner  said,  than  the  canoes  were  again  got  in 
motion.  The  darkness  might  now  have  been  a  sufficient  pro- 
tection had  there  been  no  rice,  but  the  plant  would  have  con- 
cealed the  movement,  even  at  noon-day.     The  fire  in  the  hut 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  115 

served  as  a  beacon,  and  enabled  le  Bourdon  to  find  the  canoes. 
When  he  reached  the  landing,  he  could  still  hear  the  dogs 
barking  on  the  marsh,  and  the  voices  of  those  with  them,  call- 
ing in  loud  tones  to  two  of  the  savages  who  had  remained  at 
the  chiente,  as  a  sort  of  camp-guard. 

"What  do  them  chaps  say?"  asked  le  Bourdon  of  the 
Chippewa.  "  They  yell  as  if  striving  to  make  the  two  men  at 
the  door  of  the  hut  hear  them.  Can  you  make  out  what  they 
are  bawling  so  loud  ?" 

M  Tell  two  warrior  to  come  down  and  take  care  of  canoe  — 
dat  all — let  'em  come — find  two  here  to  take  care  of  clem — got 
good  scalp,  them  two  rascal  Pottawattamie  !". 

"  No — no — Pigeonswing — we  must  have  no  more  of  that 
work  to-night,  but  must  set  about  towing  these  four  canoes 
off  the  shore  as  fast  as  we  can.  Have  you  got  hitches  on  your 
two  ?" 

"Fast  'nough — so  fast,  he  follow,"  answered  the  Indian, 
who,  notwithstanding  his  preparations  to  help  to  remove  the 
canoes,  was  manifestly  reluctant  to  depart  without  striking  an- 
other blow  at  his  enemies.  "  Now  good  time  for  dem  rascal 
to  lose  scalp  !" 

"  Them  rascals,  as  you  call  them,  begin  to  understand  their 
friends  in  the  marsh,  and  are  looking  to  the  priming  of  their 
rifles.  We  must  be  moving,  or  they  may  see  us,  and  give  us  a 
shot.  Shove  off,  Chippewa,  and  paddle  at  once  for  the  middle 
of  the  bay." 

As  le  Bourdon  was  much  in  earnest,  Pigeonswing  was  fain 
to  comply.  Had  the  last  possessed  a  rifle  of  his  own,  or  even 
a  knife,  it  is  highly  probable  he  would  have  leaped  ashore,  and 
found  the  means  of  stealing  on  some  of  his  enemies  unawares, 
and  thus  secured  another  trophy.  But  the  bee-hunter  was 
determined,  and  the  Chippewa,  hoAvever  reluctant,  was  com- 
pelled to  obey ;  for  not  only  had  le  Bourdon  kept  his  rifle  at 
his  side,  but  he  had  used  the  precaution  of  securing  his  knife 
and  tomahawk,  both  of  which  he  carried  habitually,  the  same 
as  a  red  man. 


116  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

The  canoes  had  now  a  somewhat  difficult  task.  The  wind 
still  blew  fresh,  and  it  was  necessary  for  one  of  these  light  craft, 
pretty  well  loaded  with  its  proper  freight,  and  paddled  by  only 
a  single  person,  to  tow  two  other  craft  of  equal  size  dead  to  the 
windward.  The  weight  in  the  towing  craft,  and  the  lightness 
of  those  that  were  towed,  rendered  this  task,  however,  easier 
than  it  might  otherwise  have  proved.  In  the  course  of  a  couple 
of  minutes  all  the  canoes  were  far  enough  from  the  shore  to  be 
out  of  sight  of  the  two  Indians,  who,  by  that  time,  had  got 
down  to  the  beach  to  look  after  their  own  craft.  The  yell  these 
savages  raised  on  rinding  themselves  too  late,  not  only  announced 
their  disappointment,  but  communicated  the  extent  of  the 
disaster  to  their  friends,  who  were  still  floundering  through  the 
marsh. 

The  great  advantage  that  the  party  of  the  bee-hunter  had 
now  obtained  must  be  very  apparent  to  all.  In  possession  of 
all  the  canoes,  their  enemies  were,  or  would  be  for  some  time 
at  least,  confined  to  the  northern  side  of  the  river,  which  was 
so  wide  near  its  mouth  as  to  present  an  effectual  barrier  between 
them  and  those  who  occupied  the  opposite  bank.  The  canoes, 
also,  enabled  the  weaker  party  to  change  their  position  at  will, 
carrying  with  them  as  many  effects  as  were  on  board,  and  which 
included  the  whole  of  the  property  of  le  Bourdon ;  while  their 
loss  deprived  their  enemies  of  all  extra  means  of  motion,  and 
would  be  very  likely  to  induce  them  to  proceed  on  their  ex- 
pedition by  land.  The  objects  of  that  expedition  could  only 
be  conjectured  by  the  bee-hunter,  until  he  had  questioned  the 
Chippewa ;  a  thing  he  did  not  fail  to  do,  as  soon  as  he  believed 
the  party  quite  safe  under  the  south  shore.  Here  the  fugitives 
landed,  proceeding  up  a  natural  channel  in  the  wild  rice  in 
order  to  do  so,  and  selecting  a  bit  of  dry  beach  for  their  pur- 
pose. Margery  set  about  lighting  a  fire,  in  order  to  keep  the 
mosquitos  at  a  distance,  selecting  a  spot  to  kindle  it,  behind  a 
swell  on  the  land,  that  concealed  the  light  from  all  on  the  other 
shore.  In  the  morning,  it  would  be  necessary  to  extinguish 
that  fire,  lest  its  smoke  should  betray  their  position.     It  was 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  117 

while  these  things  were  in  progress,  and  after  le  Bourdon  had 
himself  procured  the  fuel  necessary  to  feed  pretty  Margery's 
fire,  that  he  questioned  the  Chippewa  touching  his  captivity. 

"  Yes,  tell  all  'bout  him,"  answered  the  Indian,  as  soon  as 
interrogated — "no  good  to  hide  trail  from  friend.  'Member 
when  say  good-by  up  in  openin'  to  Bourdon  ?" 

"Certainly — I  remember  the  very  instant  when  you  left  me. 
The  Pottawattamie  went  on  one  path,  and  you  went  on  an- 
other, I  was  glad  of  that,  as  you  seemed  to  think  he  was  not 
your  friend." 

"  Yes ;  good  not  to  travel  on  same  path  as  inimy,  'cause  he 
quarrel  sometime,"  coolly  returned  the  Indian.  "  Dis  time,  path 
come  together,  somehow ;  and  Pottawattamie  lose  he  scalp." 

"  I  am  aware  of  all  that,  Pigeonswing,  and  wish  it  had  not 
been  so.  I  found  the  body  of  Elksfoot  sitting  up  against  a 
tree  soon  after  you  left  me,  and  knew  by  whos°  hands  he  had 
fallen." 

" Didn't  find  scalp,  eh?" 

"No,  the  scalp  had  been  taken;  though  I  accounted  that 
but  for  little,  since  the  man's  life  was  gone.  There  is  little 
gained  by  carrying  on  war  in  this  manner,  making  the  woods, 
and  the  openings,  and  the  prairies,  alike  unsafe.  You  see, 
to  what  distress  this  family  is  reduced  by  your  Injin  manner  of 
•  making  war." 

"  How  you  make  him,  den — want  to  hear.  Go  kiss,  and 
give  venison  to  inimy,  or  go  get  his  scalp,  eh  ?  Which  bess 
fashion  to  make  him  afeard,  and  own  you  master  ?" 

"All  that  may  be  done  without  killing  single  travellers,  or 
murdering  women  and  children.  The  peace  will  be  made  none 
the  sooner  between  England  and  America,  because  you  have 
got  the  scalp  of  Elksfoot." 

"  No  haben't  got  him  any  longer ;  wish  had — Pottawattamie 
take  him  away,  and  say  he  bury  him.  Well,  let  him  hide  him 
in  a  hole  deep  as  white  man's  well,  can't  hide  Pigeonwing  honor 
dere,  too.     Dat  is  safe  as  notch  cut  on  stick  can  make  him  !" 

This  notch  on  a  stick  was  the  Indian  mode  of  gazetting  a 


118  THE     OAK      OPENINGS. 

warrior ;  and  a  certain  number  of  these  notches  was  pretty  cer- 
tain to  procure  for  him  a  sort  of  savage  brevet,  which  answered 
his  purpose  quite  as  well  as  the  modern  mode  of  brevetting  at 
Washington  answers  our  purpose.  Neither  brings  any  pay,  we 
believe,  nor  any  command,  except  in  such  cases  as  rarely  occur, 
and  then  only  to  the  advantage  of  government.  There  are 
varieties  in  honor,  as  in  any  other  human  interest :  so  are  there 
many  moral  degrees  in  warfare.  Thus,  the  very  individual  who 
admires  the  occupation  of  Algiers,  or  that  of  Tahiti,  or  the 
attack  on  Canton,  together  with  the  long  train  of  Indian  events 
which  have  dyed  the  peninsulas  of  the  East  in  the  blood  of 
their  people,  sees  an  alarming  enormity  in  the  knocking  down 
of  the  walls  of  Vera  Cruz,  though  the  breach  opened  a  direct 
road  into  San  Juan  de  Ulloa.  In  the  eyes  of  the  same  profound 
moralists,  the  garitas  of  Mexico  ought  to  have  been  respected, 
as  so  many  doors  opening  into  the  boudoirs  of  the  beautiful 
dames  of  that  fine  capital ;  it  being  a  monstrous  thing  to  fire  a 
shot  into  the  streets  of  a  town,  no  matter  how  many  came  out 
of  them.  We  are  happy,  therefore,  to  have  it  in  our  power  to 
add  these  touches  of  philosophy  that  came  from  Pigeonswing 
to  those  of  the  sages  of  the  old  world,  by  way  of  completing  a 
code  of  international  morals  on  this  interesting  subject,  in  which 
the  student  shall  be  at  a  loss  to  say  which  he  most  admires — 
that  which  comes  from  the  schools,  or  that  which  comes  direct 
from  the  wilderness. 

"  So  best,"  answered  the  bee-hunter.  "  I  wish  I  could  per- 
suade you  to  throw  away  that  disgusting  thing  at  your  belt. 
Remember,  Chippewa,  you  are  now  among  Christians,  and 
ought  to  do  as  Christians  wish." 

"  What  Christians  do,  eh?"  returned  the  Indian,  with  a  sneer, 
"  Get  drunk  like  Whiskey  Centre,  dere ?  Cheat  poor  red  man; 
den  get  down  on  knee  and  look  up  at  Manitou  ?  Dat  what 
Christian  do,  eh  V 

"They  who  do  such  things  are  Christian  but  in  name — you 
must  think  better  of  such  as  are  Christians  in  fact." 

"Ebbery  body  call  himself  Christian,  tell  you — all  pale-face 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  119 

Christian,  dey  say.  Now,  listen  to  Chippewa.  Once  talk  long 
talk  wit'  missionary — tell  all  about  Christian — what  Christian 
do — what  Christian  say — how  he  eat,  how  he  sleep,  hovj  he 
drink  ! — all  good — wish  Pigeonwing  Christian — den  'member 
so'ger  at  garrison — no  eat,  no  sleep,  no  drink  Christian  fashion 
— do  ebbery  t'ing  so'ger  fashion — swear,  fight,  cheat,  get  drunk 
— wuss  dan  Injin — dat  Christian,  eh  V ' 

u  No,  that  is  not  acting  like  a  Christian  ;  and  I  fear  very  few 
ol  is  who  call  ourselves  by  that  name,  act  as  if  we  were  Chris- 
tians, in  truth,"  said  le  Bourdon,  conscious  of  the  justice  of  the 
Chippewa's  accusation. 

"  Just  dat — now,  I  get  him — ask  missionary,  one  day,  where 
all  Christian  go  to,  so  dat  Injin  can't  find  him — none  in  woods 
— none  on  prairie — none  in  garrison — none  at  Mack'naw — none 
at  Detroit — where  all  go  to,  den,  so  Injin  can't  find  him,  on'y 
in  missionary  talk  V 

"  I  am  curious  to  know  what  answer  your  missionary  made 
to  that  question." 

"  Well,  tell  you — say,  on'y  one  in  ten  t'ousant  raal  Chris- 
tians 'mong  pale-face,  dough  all  call  himself  Christian  !  Dat 
what  Injin  t'ink  queer,  eh?" 

"  It  is  not  easy  to  make  a  red  man  understand  all  the  ways 
of  the  pale-faces,  Pigeonswing ;  but  we  will  talk  of  these  things 
another  time,  when  we  are  more  at  our  ease.  Just  now,  I  wish 
to  learn  all  I  can  of  the  manner  in  which  you  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Pottawattamies." 

"Dat  plain  'nough — wish  Christian  talk  half  as  plain.  You 
see,  Bourdon,  dat  Elkfoot  on  scout,  when  we  meet  in  openin', 
up  river.  I  know'd  his  ar'nd,  and  so  took  scalp.  Dem  Potta- 
wattamie his  friend — when  dey  come  to  meet  ole  chief,  no  find 
him  ;  but  find  Pigeonwing ;  got  me  when  tired  and  'sleep  ;  got 
Elkfoot  scalp  wid  me — sorry  for  dat — know  scalp  by  scalp-lock, 
which  had  gray  hair,  and  some  mark.  So  put  me  in  canoe, 
and 'meant  to  take  Chippewa  to  Chicago  to  torture  him — but 
too  much  wind.  So,  when  meet  friend  in  fodder  canoe,  come 
ba'ik  here  to  wait  little  while." 


120  THE      OAK      OPENINGS: 

This  was  the  simple  explanation  of  the  manner  in  which 
Pigeonswing  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  It  would 
seem  that  Elksfoot  had  come  in  a  canoe  from  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Joseph's  to  a  point  about  half-way  between  that  river  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo,  and  there  landed.  "What  the  object 
of  the  party  was,  does  not  exactly  appear,  though  it  is  far  from 
being  certain  that  it  was  not  to  seize  the  bee-hunter,  and  confis- 
cate his  effects.  Although  le  Bourdon  was  personally  a  stran- 
ger to  Elksfoot,  news  flies  through  the  wilderness  in  an  extra- 
ordinary manner ;  and  it  was  not  at  all  unlikely  that  the  fact  of 
a  white  American's  being  in  the  openings  should  soon  spread, 
along  with  the  tidings  that  the  hatchet  was  dug  up,  and  that  a 
party  should  go  out  in  quest  of  his  scalp  and  the  plunder.  It 
would  seem  that  the  savage  tact  of  the  Chippewa  detected  that 
in  the  manner  of  the  Pottawattamie  chief,  which  assured  him 
the  intentions  of  the  old  warrior  were  not  amicable ;  and  that 
he  took  the  very  summary  process  which  has  been  related,  not 
only  to  secure  his  scalp,  but  effectually  to  put  it  out  of  his 
power  to  do  any  mischief  to  one  who  was  an  ally,  and  by  means 
of  recent  confidence,  now  a  friend.  All  this  the  Indian  explained 
to  his  companion,  in  his  usual  clipped  English,  but  with  a 
clearness  sufficient  to  make  it  perfectly  intelligible  to  his  listener. 
The  bee-hunter  listened  with  the  most  profound  attention,  for 
he  was  fully  aware  of  the  importance  of  comprehending  all  the 
hazards  of  his  own  situation. 

While  this  dialogue  was  going  on,  Margery  had  succeeded  in 
lighting  her  fire,  and  was  busy  in  preparing  some  warm  com- 
pound, which  she  knew  would  be  required  by  her  unhappy 
brother  after  his  debauch.  Dorothy  passed  often  between  the 
fire  and  the  canoe,  feeling  a  wife's  anxiety  in  the  fate  of  her 
husband.  As  for  the  Chippewa,  intoxication  was  a  very  venial 
offence  in  his  eyes  ;  though  he  had  a  contempt  for  a  man  who 
would  thus  indulge  while  on  a  war-path.  The  American  Indian 
does  possess  this  merit  of  adapting  his  deportment  to  his*  cir- 
cumstances. When  engaged  in  war  he  usually  prepares  himself, 
in  the  coolest  and  wisest  manner  to  meet  its  struggles,  indulg- 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  121 

ing  only  in  moments  of  leisure,  and  of  comparative  security.  It 
is  true  that  the  march  of  what  is  called  civilization  is  fast  chang- 
ing the  red  man's  character,  and  he  is  very  apt  now  to  do  that 
which  he  sees  done  by  the  "  Christians"  around  hira. 

Le  Bourdon,  when  his  dialogue  with  the  Chippewa  was  over, 
and  after  a  few  words  of  explanation  with  Margery,  took  his 
own  canoe,  and  paddled  through  the  rice-plants  into  the  open 
water  of  the  river,  to  reconnoitre.  The  breadth  of  the  stream 
induced  him  to  float  down  before  the  wind,  until  he  reached  a 
point  where  he  could  again  command  a  view  of  the  hut.  "What 
he  there  saw,  and  what  he  next  did,  must  be  reserved  for  a 
succeeding  chapter. 
6 


122  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  VIII- 


u  The  el  fln  cast  a  glance  around, 

As  he  lighted  down  from  his  courser  toad, 
Then  round  his  breast  his  wings  he  wound, 

And  close  to  the  river's  brink  he  strode ; 
lie  sprang  on  a  rock,  he  breathed  a  prayer, 

Above  his  head  his  arm  he  threw, 
Then  tossed  a  tiny  curve  in  air, 

And  headlong  plunged  in  the  water  blue.1' 


Deakk 


An  hour  had  intervened  between  the  time  when  le  Bourdon 
had  removed  the  canoes  of  the  Pottawattamies,  and  the  time 
when  he  returned  alone  to  the  northern  side  of  the  river.  In 
the  course  of  that  hour,  the  chief  of  the  savages  had  time  to 
ascertain  all  the  leading  circumstances  that  have  just  been  re- 
lated, and  to  collect  his  people  in  and  around  the  hut,  for  a 
passing  council.  The  moment  was  one  of  action,  and  not  of 
ceremonies.  JSTo  pipe  was  smoked,  nor  any  of  the  observances 
of  the  great  councils  of  the  tribe  attended  to ;  the  object  was 
merely  to  glean  facts  and  to  collect  opinions.  In  all  the  tribes 
of  this  part  of  North  America,  something  very  like  a  principle 
of  democracy  is  the  predominant  feature  of  their  politics.  It 
is  not,  however,  that  bastard  democracy  which  is  coming  so 
much  in  fashion  among  ourselves,  and  which  looks  into  the 
gutters  solely  for  the  "  people,"  forgetting  that  the  landlord  has 
just  as  much  right  to  protection  as  the  tenant,  the  master  as 
the  servant,  the  rich  as  the  poor,  the  gentleman  as  the  black- 
guard. The  Indians  know  better  than  all  this.  They  under- 
stand, fully,  that  the  chiefs  are  entitled  to  more  respect  than 
the  loafers  in  their  villages,  and  listen  to  the  former,  while  their 
3ars  are  shut  to  the  latter.     They  appear  to  have  a  common 


THE     OAK      OPENINGS.  123 

sense,  which  teaches  them  to  avoid  equally  the  exaggerations 
of  those  who  believe  in  blood,  and  of  those  who  believe  in 
blackguardism.  With  them  the  doctrines  of  "  new  men57  would 
sound  as  an  absurdity,  for  they  never  submit  to  change  for 
change's  sake.  On  the  contrary,  while  there  is  no  positive 
hereditary  rank,  there  is  much  hereditary  consideration;  and 
we  doubt  if  a  red  man  could  be  found  in  all  America,  who  is  so 
much  of  a  simpleton  as  to  cite  among  the  qualifications  of  any 
man  for  a  situation  of  trust  and  responsibility,  that  he  had  never 
been  taught  how  to  perform  its  duties.  They  are  not  guilty  of 
the  contradiction  of  elevating  men  because  they  are  self-taught, 
while  they  expend  millions  on  schools.  Doubtless  they  have, 
after  a  fashion  of  their  own,  demagogues  and  Caesars,  but  they 
are  usually  kept  within  moderate  limits  ;  and  in  rare  instances, 
indeed,  do  either  ever  seriously  trespass  on  the  rights  of  the 
tribe.  As  human  nature  is  everywhere  the  same,  it  is  not  to 
be  supposed  that  pure  justice  prevails  even  among  savages ;  but 
one  thing  would  seem  to  be  certain,  that,  all  over  the  world, 
man  in  his  simplest  and  wildest  state  is  more  apt  to  respect  his 
own  ordinances,  than  when  living  in  what  is  deemed  a  condition 
of  high  civilization. 

When  le  Bourdon  reached  the  point  whence  he  could  get  a 
good  view  of  the  door  of  the  hut,  which  was  still  illuminated 
by  the  fire  within,  he  ceased  using  the  paddle  beyond  the  slight 
effort  necessary  to  keep  the  canoe  nearly  stationary.  He  was 
quite  within  the  range  of  a  rifle,  but  trusted  to  the  darkness  of 
the  night  for  his  protection.  That  scouts  were  out,  watching 
the  approaches  to  the  hut,  he  felt  satisfied ;  and  he  did  not 
doubt  that  some  were  prowling  along  the  margin  of  the  Kala- 
mazoo, either  looking  for  the  lost  boats,  or  for  those  who  had 
taken  them  away.  This  made  him  cautious,  and  he  took  good 
care  not  to  place  his  canoe  in  a  position  of  danger. 

It  was  very  apparent  that  the  savages  were  in  great  uncer- 
tainty as  to  the  number  of  their  enemies.  Had  not  the  rifle 
been  fired,  and  their  warrior  killed  and  scalped,  they  might 
have  supposed  that  their  prisoner  had  found  the  means  of  re- 


124  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

leasing  his  limbs  himself,  and  thus  effected  his  escape  ;  but 
they  knew  that  the  Chippewa  had  neither  gun  nor  knife,  and 
as  all  their  own  arms,  even  to  those  of  the  dead  man,  were  still 
in  their  possesion,  it  was  clear  that  he  had  been  succored 
from  without.  Now,  the  Pottawattamies  had  heard  of  both 
the  bee-hunter  and  Whiskey  Centre,  and  it  was  natural  enough^ 
for  them  to  ascribe  some  of  these  unlooked-for  feats  to  one  or 
the  other  of  these  agents.  It  is  true,  the  hut  was  known  to 
have  been  built  three  or  four  years  earlier,  by  an  Indian  trader, 
and  no  one  of  the  party  had  ever  actually  seen  Gershom  and 
his  family  in  possession  ;  but  the  conjectures  on  this  head  were 
as  near  the  fact,  as  if  the  savages  had  passed  and  repassed  daily. 
There  was  only  one  point  on  which  these  close  calculators  of 
events  were  at  fault.  So  thoroughly  had  every  thing  been  re- 
moved from  the  chiente,  and  so  carefully  the  traces  of  its  recent 
occupation  concealed,  that  no  one  among  them  suspected  that 
the  family  had  left  the  place  only  an  hour  before  their  own  ar- 
rival. The  bee-hunter,  moreover,  was  well  assured  that  the 
savages  had  not  yet  blundered  on  the  hiding-place  of  the  fur- 
niture. Had  this  been  discovered,  its  contents  would  have 
been  dragged  to  light,  and  seen  around  the  fire ;  for  there  is 
usually  little  self-restraint  among  the  red  men,  when  they  make, 
a  prize  of  this  sort. 

Nevertheless,  there  was  one  point  about  which  even  those 
keen-scented  children  of  the  forest  were  much  puzzled,  and 
which  the  bee-hunter  perfectly  comprehended,  notwithstanding 
the  distance  at  which  he  was  compelled  to  keep  himself.  The 
odor  of  the  whiskey  was  so  strong,  in  and  about  the  chiente, 
that  the  Pottawattamies  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it. 
That  there  should  be  the  remains  of  this  peculiar  smell — one  so 
fragrant  and  tempting  to  those  who  are  accustomed  to  indulge 
in  the  liquor — in  the  hut  itself,  was  natural  enough ;  but  the 
savages  were  perplexed  at  finding  it  so  strong  on  the  declivity 
down  which  the  barrels  had  been  rolled.  On  this  subject  were 
they  conversing,  when  le  Bourdon  first  got  near  enough  to  ob- 
serve their  proceedings.     After  discussing  the  matter  for  some 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  125 

time,  torches  were  lighted,  and  most  of  the  party  followed  a 
grim  old  warrior,  who  had  an  exceedingly  true  nose  for  the 
scent  of  whiskey,  and  who  led  them  to  the  very  spot  where  the 
half-barrel  had  been  first  stove  by  rolling  off  a  rock,  and  wheio 
its  contents  had  been  mainly  spilled.  Here  the  earth  was  yet 
wet,  in  places,  and  the  scent  was  so  strong,  as  to  leave  no  doubt 
of  the  recent  nature  of  the  accident  which  had  wasted  so  much 
of  a  liquor  that  was  very  precious  in  Pottawattamie  eyes ;  for 
accident  they  thought  it  must  be,  since  no  sane  man  could  think 
of  destroying  the  liquor  intentionally. 

All  the  movements,  gestures,  and  genuflections  of  the  sav- 
ages were  plainly  seen  by  the  bee-hunter.  We  say  the  genu- 
flections, for  nearly  all  of  the  Indians  got  on  their  knees  and 
applied  their  noses  to  the  earth,  in  order  to  scent  the  fragrance 
of  the  beloved  whiskey  ;  some  out  of  curiosity,  but  more  be- 
cause they  loved  even  this  tantalizing  indulgence,  when  no 
better  could  be  had.  But  le  Bourdon  was  right  in  his  con- 
jectures, that  the  matter  was  not  to  end  here.  Although  most 
of  the  Indians  scented  the  remains  of  the  whiskey  out  of  love 
for  the  liquor,  a  few  of  their  number  reasoned  on  the  whole 
transaction  with  quite  as  much  acuteness  as  could  have  been 
done  by  the  shrewdest  natural  philosopher  living.  To  them  it 
was  very  apparent  that  no  great  length  of  time,  a  few  hours  at 
most,  could  have  elapsed  since  that  whiskey  was  spilled ;  and 
human  hands  must  have  brought  it  there,  in  the  first  place,  and 
poured  it  on  the  ground,  in  the  second.  There  must  have  been 
a  strong  reason  for  such  an  act,  and  that  reason  presented  itself 
to  their  minds  with  unerring  accuracy.  Their  own  approach 
must  have  been  seen,  and  the  liquor  was  destroyed  because  it 
could  not  be  removed  in  time  to  prevent  its  falling  into  their 
hands.  Even  the  precise  manner  in  which  the  whiskey  had 
been  disposed  of,  was  pretty  nearly  conjectured  by  a  few  of  the 
chiefs,  acute  and  practised  as  they  were ;  who,  accustomed  to 
this  species  of  exercise  of  their  wits,  had  some  such  dexterity 
in  examining  facts  of  this  nature,  and  in  arriving  at  just  results, 
as  the  men  of  the  schools  manifest  in  the  inquiries  that  more 


126  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

especially  belong  to  their  habits  and  training.  But  their  con- 
clusions were  confined  to  themselves  ;  and  they  were  also  suf- 
ficiently enveloped  in  doubts,  to  leave  those  who  made  them 
ready  enough  to  receive  new  impressions  on  the  same  subject. 

All  this,  moreover,  le  Bourdon  both  saw  and  understood ;  or, 
if  not  absolutely  all,  so  much  of  it  as  to  let  him  comprehend 
the  main  conclusions  of  the  savages,  as  well  as  the  process  by 
which  they  were  reached.  To  obtain  light,  the  Indians  made 
a  fire  near  the  charmed  spot,  which  brought  themselves  and 
their  movements  into  plain  view  from  the  canoe  of  the  bee- 
hunter.  Curiosity  now  became  strongly  awakened  in  the  latter, 
and  he  ventured  in  nearer  to  the  shore,  in  order  to  get  the  best 
possible  view  of  what  was  going  on.  In  a  manner,  he  was 
solving  an  enigma  ;  and  he  experienced  the  sort  of  pleasure  we 
all  feel  at  exercising  our  wits  on  difficulties  of  that  nature.  The 
interest  he  felt  rendered  the  young  man  careless  as  respected 
the  position  of  his  canoe,  which  drifted  down  before  the  strong 
breeze,  until  le  Bourdon  found  himself  in  the  very  edge  of  the 
wild  rice,  which  at  this  point  formed  but  a  very  narrow  belt 
along  the  beach.  It  was  this  plant,  indeed,  that  contributed 
to  make  the  young  man  so  regardless  of  his  drift,  for  he  looked 
upon  the  belt  of  rice  as  a  species  of  landmark  to  warn  him 
when  to  turn.  But,  at  no  other  spot  along  that  whole  shore, 
where  the  plant  was  to  be  found  at  all,  was  its  belt  so  narrow 
as  at  this,  immediately  opposite  to  the  new  fire  of  the  savages, 
and  almost  within  the  influence  of  its  rays.  To  le  Bourdon's 
surprise,  and  somewhat  to  his  consternation,  just  as  his  little 
craft  touched  the  rice,  the  forms  of  two  stout  warriors  passed 
along  the  beach,  between  him  and  the  light,  their  feet  almost 
dipping  in  the  water.  So  near  were  these  two  warriors  to  him, 
that,  on  listening  intently,  he  heard  not  only  their  voices,  as 
they  communicated  their  thoughts  to  each  other  in  low  tones, 
but  the  tread  of  their  moccasined  feet  on  the  ground.  Eetreat, 
under  the  circumstances,  would  not  be  safe,  for  it  must  have 
been  made  under  the  muzzles  of  the  rifles  ;  and  but  one  resource 
presented  itself.     By  grasping  in  his  hand  two  or  three  stalks 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  127 

of  the  rice-plant,  and  holding  them  firmly,  the  drift  of  the  canoe 
was  arrested. 

After  a  moment's  reflection,  le  Bourdon  was  better  satisfied 
with  this  new  station  than  he  had  been  on  first  gaining  it.  To 
have  ventured  on  such  a  near  approach  to  his  enemies,  he  would 
have  regarded  as  madness ;  but  now  he  was  there,  well  conceal- 
ed among  the  rice,  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  observation  it 
gave  him,  and  looked  upon  the  chance  that  brought  him  there, 
as  lucky.  He  found  a  thong  of  buckskin,  and  fastened  his  canoe 
to  the  stalks  of  the  plant,  thus  anchoring  or  mooring  his  little 
bark,  and  leaving  himself  at  liberty  to  move  about  in  it.  The 
rice  was  high  enough  to  conceal  him,  even  when  erect,  and  he 
had  some  difficulty  in  finding  places  favorable  to  making  his 
observations  through  it.  When  the  bee-hunter  made  its  way 
into  the  bow  of  his  canoe,  however,  which  he  did  with  a 
moccasined  and  noiseless  foot,  he  was  startled  at  perceiving 
how  small  was  his  cover.  In  point  of  fact,  he  was  now  within 
three  feet  of  the  inner  edge  of  the  rice-plants,  which  grew 
within  ten  feet  of  the  shore,  where  the  two  warriors  already 
mentioned  were  still  standing,  in  close  communication  with  each 
other.  Their  faces  were  turned  toward  the  fire,  the  bright 
light  from  which,  at  times,  streamed  over  the  canoe  itself,  in  a 
way  to  illumine  all  it  contained.  The  first  impulse  of  le  Bour- 
don, on  ascertaining  how  closely  he  had  drifted  to  the  shore, 
was  to  seize  a  paddle  and  make  off,  but  a  second  thought  again 
told  him  it  would  be  far  safer  to  remain  where  he  was.  Taking 
his  seat,  therefore,  on  a  bit  of  board  laid  athwart,  from  gunwale 
to  gunwale,  if  such  a  craft  can  be  said  to  have  gunwales  at  all, 
he  patiently  awaited  the  course  of  events. 

By  this  time,  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  Pottawattamies  had  col- 
lected on  this  spot,  on  the  side  of  the  hill.  The  hut  was  de- 
serted, its  fire  got  to  be  low,  and  darkness  reigned  around  the 
place.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Indians  kept  piling  brush  on 
their  new  fire,  until  the  whole  of  that  hill-side,  the  stream  at  its 
foot,  and  the  ravine  through  which  the  latter  ran,  were  fairly 
illuminated.     Of  course,  all  within  the  influence  of  this  light 


128  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

was  to  be  distinctly  seen,  and  the  bee-hunter  was  soon  absorbed 
in  gazing  at  the  movements  of  savage  enemies,  under  circum- 
stances so  peculiar. 

The  savages  seemed  to  be  entranced  by  the  singular,  and  to 
most  of  them  unaccountable  circumstance  of  the  earth's  giving 
forth  the  scent  of  fresh  whiskey,  in  a  place  so  retired  and  un- 
known. "While  two  or  three  of  their  number  had  certain  ink- 
lings of  the  truth,  as  has  been  stated,  to  much  the  greater  por- 
tion of  their  body  it  appeared  to  be  a  profound  mystery  ;  and 
one  that,  in  some  inexplicable  manner,  was  connected  with  the 
recent  digging  up  of  the  hatchet.  Ignorance  and  superstition 
ever  go  hand  in  hand,  and  it  was  natural  that  many,  perhaps 
most  of  these  uninstructed  beings  should  thus  consider  so  un- 
usual a  fragrance,  on  such  a  spot.  Whiskey  has  unfortunately 
obtained  a  power  over  the  red  man  of  this  continent  that  it 
would  require  many  Fathers  Matthew  to  suppress,  and  which 
can  only  be  likened  to  that  which  is  supposed  to  belong  to  the 
influence  of  witchcraft.  The  Indian  is  quite  as  sensible  as  the 
white  man  of  the  mischief  that  the  "  fire-water"  produces;  but, 
like  the  white  man,  he  finds  how  hard  it  is  to  get  rid  of  a  master 
passion,  when  we  have  once  submitted  ourselves  to  its  sway. 
The  portion  of  the  band  that  could  not  account  for  the  fact  of 
the  scent  of  their  beloved  beverage's  being  found  in  such  a 
place,  and  it  was  all  but  three  of  their  whole  party,  were  quite 
animated  in  their  discussions  on  the  subject,  and  many  and 
crude  were  the  suggestions  that  fell  from  their  lips.  The  two 
warriors  on  the  beach,  were'  more  deeply  impressed  than  any 
of  their  companions,  with  the  notion  that  some  "  medicine 
charm"  was  connected  with  this  extraordinary  affair.  - 

The  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  hear  that  le  Bourdon 
gazed  on  the  scene  before  him  with  the  most  profound  attention. 
So  near  did  he  seem  to  be,  and  so  near  was  hef  in  fact,  to  the 
savages  who  were  grouped  around  the  fire,  that  he  fancied  he 
could  comprehend  what  they  were  saying,  by  the  expressions 
of  their  grim  and  swarthy  countenances.  His  conjectures  were 
in  part  just,  and  occasionally  the  bee-hunter  was  absolutely  ac- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  129 

curate  in  his  notions  of  what  was  said.  The  frequency  with 
which  different  individuals  knelt  on  the  ground,  to  scent  an 
odor  that  is  always  so  pleasant  to  the  red  man,  would  of  itself 
have  given  a  clue  to  the  general  character  of  the  discourse ; 
but,  the  significant  and  expressive  gestures,  the  rapid  enuncia- 
tion, and  the  manner  in  which  the  eyes  of  the  speakers  glanced 
from  the  faces  near  themselves  to  the  spot  consecrated  by 
whiskey,  pretty  plainly  told  the  story.  It  was  while  thus  in- 
tently occupied  in  endeavoring  to  read  the  singular  impression 
made  on  the  minds  of  most  of  those  wild  beings,  by  an  incident 
so  much  out  of  the  usual  track  of  their  experience,  that  le 
Bourdon  suddenly  found  the  bow  of  his  canoe  thrusting  itself 
beyond  the  inner  margin  of  the  rice,  and  issuing  into  open 
water,  within  ten  feet  of  the  very  spot  where  the  two  nearest 
of  the  savages  were  still  conferring  together,  apart.  The  buck- 
skin thong  which  served  as  a  fastening  had  got  loosened,  and 
the  light  craft  was  again  drifting  down  before  the  strong  south- 
erly wind,  which  still  continued  to  blow  a  little  gale. 

Had  there  been  an  opportunity  for  such  a  thing,  the  bee- 
hunter  would  have  made  an  effort  to  escape.  But  so  sudden 
and  unexpected  was  this  exposure,  that  he  found  himself  almost 
within  reach  of  a  rifle,  before  he  was  aware  of  his  approaching 
the  two  warriors  on  the  shore,  at  all.  His  paddle  was  in  the 
stern  of  the  canoe,  and  had  he  used  the  utmost  activity,  the 
boat  would  have  grounded  on  the  beach,  ere  he  could  have  ob- 
tained it.  In  this  situation,  therefore,  he  was  absolutely  with- 
out any  other  means  than  his  hands,  of  stopping  the  canoe,  had 
there  even  been  time. 

Le  Bourdon  understood  his  real  situation  without  stopping 
to  reflect ;  and,  though  his  heart  made  one  violent  leap  as  soon 
as  he  perceived  he  was  out  of  cover,  he  immediately  bethought 
him  of  the  course  he  ought  to  pursue.  It  would  have  been 
fatal  to  betray  alarm,  or  to  attempt  flight.  As  accident  had 
thus  brought  him,  as  it  might  be  on  a  visit,  to  the  spot,  he  at 
once  determined  to  give  his  arrival  the  character  of  a  friendly 
call,  and  the  better  to  support  the  pretension,  to  blend  with  it, 


130  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

if  possible,  a  little  of  the  oracular,  or  "medicine"  manner,  in 
order  to  impose  on  the  imaginations  of  the  superstitious  beings 
into  whose  power  he  had  so  unwittingly  fallen. 

The  instant  the  canoe  touched  the  shore,  and  it  was  only  a 
moment  after  it  broke  through  the  cover,  le  Bourdon  arose, 
and  extending  his  hand  to  the  nearest  Indian,  saluted  him  with 
the  mongrel  term  of  "Sago."  A  slight  exclamation  from  this 
warrior  communicated  to  his  companion  an  arrival  that  was 
quite  as  much  a  matter  of  surprise  to  the  Indians  as  to  their 
guest,  and  through  this  second  warrior,  to  the  whole  party  on 
the  hill-side.  A  little  clamor  succeeded,  and  presently  the  bee- 
hunter  was  surrounded  with  savages. 

The  meeting  was  marked  by  the  self-command  and  dignified 
quiet  that  are  so  apt  to  distinguish  the  deportment  of  Indian 
warriors,  when  they  are  on  the  war-path,  and  alive  to  the 
duties  of  manhood.  The  bee-hunter  shook  hands  with  several, 
who  received  his  salutations  with  perfect  calmness,  if  not  with 
absolute  confidence  and  amity.  This  little  ceremony  gave  our 
hero  an  opportunity  to  observe  the  swarthy  countenances  by 
which  he  was  surrounded,  most  of  which  were  fierce  in  their 
paint,  as  well  as  to  reflect  a  little  on  his  own  course.  By  a 
fortunate  inspiration  he  now  determined  to  assume  the  character 
of  a  "medicine  man,"  and  to  connect  his  prophecies  and  jug- 
gleries with  this  lucky  accident  of  the  whiskey.  Accordingly, 
he  inquired  if  any  one  spoke  English,  not  wishing  to  trust  his 
explanations  to  his  own  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  Ojebway 
tongue,  which  is  spoken  by  all  the  numerous  tribes  of  that 
widely-extended  nation.  Several  could  render  themselves  in- 
telligible in  English,  and  one  was  so  expert  as  to  render  com- 
munication with  him  easy,  if  not  very  agreeable.  As  the  savages, 
however,  soon  insisted  on  examining  the  canoe,  and  taking  a 
look  at  its  contents,  previously  to  listening  to  their  visitor's  ex- 
planations, le  Bourdon  was  fain  to  submit,  and  to  let  the  young 
men  satisfy  their  curiosity. 

The  bee-hunter  had  come  on  his  hazardous  expedition  in  his 
own  canoe.     Previously  to  quitting  the  south  shore,  however, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  131 

he  had  lightened  the  little  craft,  by  landing  every  thing  that 
was  not  essential  to  his  present  purpose.  As  nearly  half  of  his 
effects  were  in  the  canoe  of  Whiskey  Centre,  the  task  was  soon 
performed,  and  lucky  it  was  for  our  hero  that  he  had  bethought 
him  of  the  prudence  of  the  measure.  His  sole  object  had  been 
to  render  the  canoe  swifter  and  lighter,  in  the  event  of  a  chase ; 
but,  as  things  turned  out,  he  saved  no  small  portion  of  his  prop- 
erty by  using  the  precaution.  The  Indians  found  nothing  in 
the  canoe,  but  one  rifle,  with  a  horn  and  pouch,  a  few  light 
articles  belonging  to  the  bee-hunter's  domestic  economy,  and 
which  he  had  not  thought  it  necessary  to  remove,  and  the 
paddles.  All  the  honey,  and  the  skins,  and  stores,  and  spare 
powder,  and  lead,  and,  in  short,  every  thing  else  that  belonged 
to  le  Bourdon  was  still  safe  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  The 
greatest  advantage  gained  by  the  Pottawattamies  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  canoe  itself,  by  means  of  which  they  would 
now  be  enabled  to  cross  the  Kalamazoo,  or  make  any  other 
similar  expedition,  by  water. 

But,  as  yet,  not  a  sign  of  hostility  was  betrayed  by  either 
party.  The  bee-hunter  seemed  to  pay  no  attention  to  his  rifle 
and  ammunition,  or  even  to  his  canoe,  while  the  savages,  after 
having  warily  examined  the  last,  together  with  its  contents,  re- 
turned to  their  visitor,  to  re-examine  him,  with  a  curiosity  as 
lively  as  it  was  full  of  distrust.  At  this  stage  in  the  proceed- 
ing, something  like  a  connected  and  intelligible  conversation 
commenced  between  the  chief  who  spoke  English,  and  who 
was  known  in  most  of  the  north-western  garrisons  of  the  Amer- 
icans, by  the  name  of  Thundercloud,  or  Cloud,  by  way  of  ab- 
breviation, on  account  of  his  sinister  looks,  though  the  man 
actually  sustained  a  tolerably  fair  reputation  for  one  of  those 
who,  having  been  wronged,  was  so  certain  to  be  calumniat- 
ed. No  man  was  ever  yet  injured,  that  he  has  not  been  slan- 
dered. 

-'  Who  kill  and  scalp  my  young  man  V  asked  Cloud,  a  little 
abruptly. 

"Has   my  brother  lost  a  warrior?"    was  the  calm  reply, 


132  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"  Yes,  I  see  that  lie  lias.  A  medicine-man  can  see  that,  though 
it  is  dark." 

"  Who  kill  him,  if  can  see  ? — who  scalp  him,  too  ?" 

"  An  enemy  did  both,"  answered  le  Bourdon,  oracularly. 
"Yes;  'twas  an  enemy  that  killed  him;  and  an  enemy  that 
took  his  scalp.'7 

"  Why  do  it,  eh  ?  Why  come  here  to  take  Pottawattamie 
scalp,  when  no  war-path  open,  eh  ?" 

"  Pottawattamie,  the  truth  must  always  be  said  to  a  medicine- 
man. There  is  no  use  in  trying  to  hide  truth  from  him.  There 
is  a  war-path  open  ;  and  a  long  and  a  tangled  path  it  is.  My 
Great  Father  at  Washington  has  dug  up  the  hatchet  against 
my  Great  Father  at  Quebec.  Enemies  always  take  scalps  when 
they  can  get  them." 

"Dat  true — dat  right,  too — nobody  grumble  at  dat — but 
who  enemy  ?  pale-face  or  redskin  ?" 

"  This  time  it  was  a  redskin — a  Chippewa — one  of  your  own 
nation,  though  not  of  your  own  tribe.  A  warrior  called  Pigeons- 
wing,  whom  you  had  in  thongs,  intending  to  torture  him  in  the 
morning.  He  cut  his  thongs,  and  shot  your  young  man — after 
which  he  took  his  scalp." 

"How  know  dat?"  demanded  the  Cloud,  a  little  fiercely. 
"You  'long,  and  help  kill  Pottawattamie,  eh?1' 

"I  know  it,"  answered  le  Bourdon,  coolly,  "because  med- 
icine-men know  most  of  what  happens.  Do  not  be  so  hasty, 
chief,  for  this  is  a  medicine  spot — whiskey  groivs  here." 

A  common  exclamation  escaped  all  of  the  red  men,  who  com- 
prehended the  clear,  distinct,  and  oracular-like  language  and 
manner  of  the  bee-hunter.  He  intended  to  make  an  impression 
on  his  listeners,  and  he  succeeded  admirably  ;  perhaps  as  much 
by  means  of  manner  as  of  matter.  A  s  has  been  said,  all  who 
understood  his  words — some  four  or  five  of  the  party — grunted 
forth  their  surprise  at  this  evidence  of  their  guest's  acquaintance 
with  the  secrets  of  the  place,  in  which  they  were  joined  by  the 
rest  of  their  companions,  as  soon  as  the  words  of  the  pale-face 
had  been  translated.    Even  the  experienced  and  wary  old  chiefs, 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  183 

who  had  more  than  half  conjectured  the  truth,  in  connection 
with  this  mysterious  odor  of  whiskey,  were  much  unsettled  in 
their  opinions  concerning  the  wonder,  and  got  to  be  in  that 
condition  of  mind  when  a  man  does  not  know  what  to  think 
of  any  particular  event.  The  bee-hunter,  quick-witted,  and 
managing  for  his  life,  was  not  slow  to  perceive  the  advantage 
he  had  gained,  and  he  proceeded  at  once  to  clinch  the  nail  he 
had  so  skilfully  driven.  Turning  from  Cloud  to  the  head-chief 
of  the  party,  a  warrior  whom  he  had  no  difficulty  in  recogni- 
zing, after  having  so  long  watched  his  movements  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  night,  he  pushed  the  same  subject  a  little  further. 

"  Yes;  this  place  is  called  by  the  whites  Whiskey  Centre," 
he  added — "  which  means  that  it  is  the  centre  of  all  the  whiskey 
of  the  country  round  about." 

"  Dat  true,"  said  Cloud,  quickly— "  I  hear  so'ger  at  Fort 
Dearborn  call  him  Whiskey  Centre  !" 

This  little  circumstance  greatly  complicated  the  mystery, 
and  le  Bourdon  perceived  that  he  had  hit  on  a  lucky  expla- 
nation. 

"  Soldiers  far  and  near — soldiers  drunk  or  sober — soldiers 
with  scalps,  and  soldiers  without  scalps — all  know  the  place  by 
that  name.  But  you  need  not  believe  with  your  eyes  shut 
and  noses  stopped,  chief,  since  you  have  the  means  of  learning 
for  yourselves  the  truth  of  what  I  tell  you.  Come  with  me, 
and  I  will  tell  you  where  to  dig  in  the  morning  for  a  whiskey 
spring." 

This  communication  excited  a  tremendous  feeling  among  the 
savages,  when  its  purport  came  to  be  explained  to  the  whole 
party.  Apart  from  the  extraordinary,  miraculous  nature  of 
such  a  spring,  which  in  itself  was  sufficient  to  keep  alive  ex- 
pectation and  gratify  curiosity,  it  was  so  comfortable  to  have 
an  inexhaustible  supply  of  the  liquor  running  out  of  the  bowels 
of  the  earth,  that  it  is  no  wonder  the  news  spread  infinite  de- 
light among  the  listeners.  Even  the  two  or  three  of  the  chiefs 
who  had  so  shrewdly  divined  the  manner  in  which  the  liquor 
had  been  spilled,  were  staggered  by  the  solemnity  and  steadi- 


134  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

ness  of  the  bee-hunter7  s  manner,  and  perhaps  a  little  carried 
away  by  sympathy  with  those  around  them.  This  yielding  of 
the  human  mind  to  the  influence  of  numbers,  is  so  common  an 
occurrence  as  scarcely  to  require  explanation,  and  is  the  source 
of  half  the  evils  that  popular  associations  inflict  on  themselves. 
It  is  not  that  men  capable  of  seeing  the  truth  are  ever  wanting ; 
but  men  capable  of  maintaining  it,  in  the  face  of  clamor  and 
collected  power. 

It  will  be  readily  conceived  that  a  medicine-man  who  is 
supposed  to  possess  the  means  of  discovering  a  spring  that 
should  overflow  with  pure  whiskey,  would  not  be  left  without 
urgent  demands  for  a  speedy  exercise  of  this  art.  This  was 
now  the  case  with  le  Bourdon,  who  was  called  on  from  all  sides 
to  point  out  the  precise  spot  where  the  young  men  were  to 
commence  digging  in  order  to  open  on  the  treasure.  Our  hero 
knew  that  his  only  hope  of  escape  was  connected  with  his 
steadily  maintaining  his  assumed  character  ;  or,  of  maintaining 
this  assumed  character,  with  his  going  on,  at  once,  to  do  some- 
thing that  might  have  the  effect,  temporarily  at  least,  of  satis- 
fying the  impatience  of  his  now  attentive  listeners.  Accordingly, 
when  the  demand  was  made  on  him  to  give  some  evidence  of 
his  power,  he  set  about  the  task,  not  only  with  composure,  but 
with  a  good  deal  of  ingenuity. 

Le  Bourdon,  it  will  be  remembered,  had,  with  his  own  hands, 
rolled  the  two  barrels  of  whiskey  down  the  declivity.  Feeling 
the  great  importance  of  effectually  destroying  them,  he  had 
watched  their  descent,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill, 
and  the  final  disappearance  of  the  staves,  &c,  in  the  torrent 
which  brawled  at  its  foot.  It  had  so  happened  that  the  half- 
filled  cask  broke  and  let  out  its  liquor,  at  a  point  much  more 
remote  from  the  stream,  than  the  filled.  The  latter  had  held 
together  until  it  went  over  the  low  rocky  precipice,  already 
mentioned,  and  was  stove  at  its  base,  within  two  yards  of  the 
torrent,  which  received  all  its  fragments  and  swept  them  away, 
including  most  of  the  liquor  itself;  but  not  until  the  last  had 
been  spilled.     Now,  the  odorous  spot  which  had  attracted  tho 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  135 

noses  of  the  savages,  and  near  which  they  had  built  their  fire, 
was  that  where  the  smallest  quantity  of  the  whiskey  had  fallen. 
Le  Bourdon  reasoned  on  these  circumstances  in  this  wise  : — if 
half  a  barrel  of  the  liquor  can  produce  so  strong  a  scent,  a  barrel 
filled  ought  to  produce  one  still  stronger  ;  and  I  will  manifest  my 
medicine-character,  by  disregarding  for  the  present  moment  the 
spot  on  the  hill-side,  and  proceed  at  once  to  that  at  the  foot  of 
the  rocks.  To  this  latter  point,  therefore,  did  he  direct  all  the 
ceremony,  as  well  as  his  own  footsteps,  when  he  yielded  to  the 
solicitations  of  the  Pottawattamies,  and  undertook  to  point  out 
the  position  of  the  whiskey  spring. 

The  bee-hunter  understood  the  Indian  character  too  well  to 
forget  to  embellish  his  work  with  a  proper  amount  of  jugglery 
and  acting.  Luckily,  he  had  left  in  the  canoe  a  sort  of  frock 
of  mottled  colors  that  he  had  made  himself,  to  wear  in  the 
woods  in  the  autumn  as  a  hunting-dress,  under  the  notion  that 
such  a  covering  would  conceal  his  approach  from  his  game,  by 
blending  its  hues  with  those  of  the  autumn  leaf.  This  dress 
he  now  assumed,  extorting  a  good  deal  of  half-suppressed  ad- 
miration from  the  younger  warriors,  by  the  gay  appearance  he 
made.  Then  he  drew  out  his  spy-glass  to  its  greatest  length, 
making  various  mysterious  signs  and  gestures  as  he  did  so. 
This  glass  proved  to  be  a  great  auxiliary,  and  possibly  alone 
kept  the  doubters  in  awe.  Le  Bourdon  saw  at  once  that  it 
was  entirely  new,  even  to  the  oldest  chief,  and  he  felt  how  much 
it  might  be  made  to  assist  him.  Beckoning  to  Cloud,  and  ad- 
justing the  focus,  he  directed  the  small  end  of  his  glass  to  the 
fire,  and  placed  the  large  end  to  that  Indian's  eye.  A  solitary 
savage,  who  loved  the  scent  of  whiskey  too  much  to  tear  him- 
self away  from  the  spot,  was  lingering  within  the  influence  of 
the  rays,  and  of  course  was  seen  by  the  chief,  with  his  person 
diminished  to  that  of  a  dwarf,  and  his  form  thrown  to  a  seeming 
distance. 

An  eloquent  exclamation  followed  this  exhibition  of  the  med- 
icine-man's power ;  and  each  of  the  chiefs,  and  most  of  the 
other  warriors,  were  gratified  with  looks  through  the  glass. 


136  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

"What  dat  mean1?5'  demanded  Cloud,  earnestly.  "  See 
Wolfeye  well  'nough — why  he  so  little  ? — why  he  so  far 
off,  he?" 

"  That  is  to  show  you  what  a  medicine-man  of  the  pale-faces 
can  do,  when  he  is  so  minded.  That  Indian  is  named  Wolfs- 
eye,  and  he  loves  whiskey  too  well.  That  I  know,  as  well  as 
I  know  his  name." 

Each  of  these  exhibitions  of  intelligence  extorted  exclamations 
of  wonder.  It  is  true,  that  one  or  two  of  the  higher  chiefs  un- 
derstood that  the  name  might  possibly  have  been  obtained 
from  Cloud ;  but  how  was  the  medicine-man  to  know  that 
Wolfseye  was  a  drunkard  ?  This  last  had  not  been  said  in 
terms ;  but  enough  had  been  said,  to  let  those  who  were  aware 
of  the  propensity  feel  that  more  was  meant  than  had  been  ex- 
pressed. Before  there  was  time,  however,  to  deliberate  on,  or 
to  dissect  this  specimen  of  mysterious  knowledge,  lc  Bourdon 
reversed  the  glass,  and  applied  the  small  end  to  the  eye  of 
Cloud,  after  having  given  it  its  former  direction.  The  Indian 
fairly  yelled,  partly  with  dread,  and  partly  with  delight,  when 
he  saw  Wolfseye,  large  as  life,  brought  so  near  himself  that  he 
fancied  he  might  be  touched  with  his  own  hand. 

"What  dat  mean?"  exclaimed  Cloud,  as  soon  as  surprise 
and  awe  enabled  him  to  find  his  voice.  "  Fuss  he  little,  den  he 
big — fuss  he  great  way,  den  he  close  by — what  dat  mean,  eh  !" 

"  It  means  that  I  am  a  medicine-man,  and  this  is  a  medicine- 
glass,  and  that  I  can  see  with  it  into  the  earth,  deeper  than 
the  wells,  or  higher  than  the  mountains  !" 

These  words  were  translated,  and  explained  to  all  three. 
They  extorted  many  ejaculations  of  wonder,  and  divers  grunts 
of  admiration  and  contentment.  Cloud  conferred  a  moment 
with  the  two  principal  chiefs ;  then  he  turned  eagerly  to  the 
bee-hunter,  saying — 

"All  good,  but  want  to  hear  more — want  to  Tarn  more — 
want  to  see  more." 

"Name  your  wants  freely,  Pottawattamie,"  answered  le 
Bourdon,  with  dignity,  "they  shall  be  satisfied." 


TfiJE      OAK      OPENINGS.  137 

11  Want  to  see — want  to  taste  whiskey  spring — see  won't 
do — want  to  taste" 

"  Good — you  shall  smell  first ;  then  you  shall  see  ;  after  that 
you  shall  taste.  Give  me  room,  and  be  silent ;  a  great  medicine 
is  near.  ' 

Thus  delivering  himself,  le  Bourdon  proceeded  with  his  nec- 
romancy. 


138  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

K  He  turned  him  round,  and  fled  amain 
With  hurry  and  dash  to  the  beach  again; 
He  twisted  over  from  side  to  side, 
And  laid  his  cheek  to  the  cleaving  tide ; 
The  strokes  of  his  plunging  arms  are  fleet, 
And  with  all  his  might  he  flings  his  feet, 
But  the  water-sprites  are  round  him  still, 
To  cross  his  path  and  work  him  ill.1' 

The  Culprit  Fai. 

The  first  step  in  the  conjuration  of  the  bee-hunter  was,  to 
produce  an  impression  on  the  minds  of  his  untutored  observers, 
by  resorting  to  a  proper  amount  of  mummery  and  mystical 
action.  This  he  was  enabled  to  do  with  some  effect,  in  conse- 
quence of  having  practised  as  a  lad,  in  similar  mimicry,  by  way 
of  pastime.  The  Germans,  and  the  descendants  of  Germans  in 
America,  are  not  of  a  very  high  class,  as  respects  education, 
taken  as  a  body,  and  they  retain  many  of  the  most  inveterate 
of  the  superstitions  of  their  Teutonic  ancestors.  Although 
the  bee-hunter  himself  was  of  purely  English  descent,  he  came 
from  a  state  that  was  in  part  peopled  by  these  Germans  and 
their  descendants ;  and,  by  intercourse  with  them,  he  had  ac- 
quired a  certain  knowledge  of  their  notions  on  the  subject  of 
necromancy,  that  he  now  found  was  of  use.  So  far  as  gravity 
of  mien,  solemn  grimaces,  and  unintelligible  mutterings  were 
concerned,  le  Bourdon  played  his  part  to  admiration  ;  and  by 
the  time  he  had  led  the  party  half  the  distance  he  intended  to 
go,  our  necromancer,  or  "  medicine-man,"  had  complete  pos- 
session of  the  imaginations  of  all  the  savages,  the  two  or  three 
chiefs  already  mentioned  alone  excepted.  At  this  stage  of  the 
proceedings  occurred  a  little  incident,  which  goes  to  prove  iha 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  139 

disposition  of  the  common  mind  to  contribute  in  deceiving 
itself,  and  which  was  of  considerable  assistance  to  le  Bourdon, 
in  maintaining  his  assumed  character. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  place  where  the  Indians  had 
found  their  strongest  scent  was  on  the  hill-side,  or  at  the  spot 
where  the  half-filled  barrel  had  let  out  most  of  its  contents. 
Near  this  spot  their  new  fire  was  still  brightly  blazing,  and 
there  Wolfseye  remained,  regaling  one  of  his  senses,  at  least, 
with  an  odor  that  he  found  so  agreeable.  But  the  bee-hunter 
knew  that  he  should  greatly  increase  the  wonder  of  the  savages 
by  leading  them  to  a  new  scent-spot,  one  to  which  there  was 
no  visible  clue,  and  where  the  odor  w as  probably  much  stronger 
than  on  the  hill-side.  Accordingly  he  did  not  approach  the 
fire,  but  kept  around  the  base  of  the  hill,  just  enough  within 
the  influence  of  the  light  to  pick  his  way  readily,  and  yet  so 
distant  from  it,  as  to  render  his  countenance  indistinct  and 
mysterious.  No  sooner,  however,  had  he  got  abreast  of  the 
scent-spot  known  to  the  savages,  than  the  crowd  endeavored  to 
lead  him  toward  it,  by  gestures  and  hints,  and,  finally,  by 
direct  intimations  that  he  was  going  astray.  All  this  our 
"  medicine-man"  disregarded;  he  held  his  way  steadily  and 
solemnly  toward  that  place  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  where  he 
knew  that  the  filled  barrel  had  let  out  its  contents,  and  where 
he,  reasonably  enough,  expected  to  find  sufficient  traces  of  the 
whiskey  to  answer  his  purposes.  At  first,  this  pertinacity  pro- 
voked the  crowd,  which  believed  he  was  going  wrong ;  but  a 
few  words  from  Crowsfeather,  the  principal  chief,  caused  the 
commotion  to  cease.  In  a  few  more  minutes  le  Bourdon 
stopped,  near  the  place  of  his  destination.  As  a  fresh  scent  of 
whiskey  was  very  perceptible  here,  a  murmur  of  admiration, 
not  unmixed  with  delight,  passed  among  the  attendants  ! 

"  Now,  let  the  young  men  build  a  fire  for  me,"  said  the  bec- 
hunter,  solemnly — '  ■  not  such  a  fire  as  that  which  is  burning  on 
the  hill,  but  a  medicine-fire.  I  smell  the  whiskey  spring,  and 
want  a  medicine-light  to  see  it." 

ft.  dozen  young  men  began  to  collect  the  brush  ;  in  a  minute 


140  THE     OAK      OPENINGS. 

a  pile  of  some  size  had  been  accumulated  on  a  flat  rock,  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  spot  where  le  Bourdon  knew  that  the  cask 
had  been  dashed  to  pieces.  When  he  thought  the  pile  suffi- 
ciently large,  he  told  Crowsfeather  that  it  might  be  lighted  by 
bringing  a  brand  from  the  other  fire. 

"This  will  not  be  a  medicine-light,  for  that  can  come  only 
from  *  medicine-matches,' "  he  added;  "but  I  want  a  fire  to 
see  the  shape  of  the  ground.  Put  in  the  brand,  brothers;  let 
us  have  a  flame." 

The  desire  of  the  bee-hunter  was  gratified,  and  the  whole  of 
the  base  of  the  hill  around  the  spot  where  the  filled  cask  had 
broken,  was  illuminated. 

"  Now,  let  all  the  Pottawattamies  stand  back,"  added  le 
Bourdon,  earnestly.  "  It  might  cost  a  warrior  his  life  to  come 
forward  too  soon — or,  if  not  his  life,  it  might  give  a  rheumatism 
that  can  never  be  cured,  which  is  worse.  When  it  is  time  for 
my  red  brothers  to  advance,  they  will  be  called." 

As  the  bee-hunter  accompanied  this  announcement  by  suit- 
able gestures,  he  succeeded  in  ranging  all  of  the  silent,  but 
excited  savages  on  three  sides  of  his  fire,  leaving  that  next  his 
mysterious  spring  to  himself,  alone.  When  all  was  arranged, 
le  Bourdon  moved  slowly,  but  unaccompanied,  to  the  precise 
spot  where  the  cask  had  broken.  Here  he  found  the  odor  of 
the  whiskey  so  strong,  as  to  convince  him  that  some  of  the 
liquor  must  yet  remain.  On  examining  more  closely,  he  ascer- 
tained that  several  shallow  cavities  of  the  flat  rock,  on  which 
the  cask  had  been  clashed,  still  contained  a  good  deal  of  the 
liquor ;  enough  to  prove  of  great  assistance  to  his  medicine 
character. 

All  this  while  the  bee-hunter  kept  one  portion  of  his  faculties 
on  the  alert,  in  order  to  effect  his  escape.  That  he  might  de- 
ceive for  a  time,  aided  as  he  was  by  so  many  favorable  circum- 
stances, he  did  not  doubt ;  but  he  dreaded  the  morning  and 
the  results  of  a  night  of  reflection  and  rest.  Crowsfeather,  in 
particular,  troubled  him ;  and  he  foresaw  that  his  fate  would  be 
terrible,  did  the  savages  once  get  an  inkling  of  the  deception 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  141 

lie  was  practising.  As  he  stood  there,  bending  over  the  little 
pools  of  whiskey,  he  glanced  his  eyes  toward  the  gloom  which 
pervaded  the  northern  side  of  the  hill,  and  calculated  the 
chances  of  escape  by  trusting  to  his  speed.  All  of  the  Potta- 
wattamies  were  on  the  opposite  side,  and  there  was  a  thicket 
favorably  placed  for  a  cover,  so  near  that  the  rifle  would  scarce 
have  time  to  perform  its  fatal  office,  ere  he  might  hope  to  bury 
himself  within  its  leaves.  So  tempting  did  the  occasion  appear, 
that,  for  a  single  instant,  le  Bourdon  forgot  his  caution,  and  his 
mummeries,  and  had  actually  advanced  a  step  or  two,  in  the 
direction  toward  which  he  contemplated  flight,  when,  on  glan 
cing  an  uneasy  look  behind  him,  he  perceived  Crowsfeather 
and  his  two  intimate  counsellors  stealthily  preparing  their  rifles, 
as  if  they  distrusted  his  intentions.  This  at  once  induced  a 
change  of  plan,  and  brought  the  bee-hunter  back  to  a  sense  of 
his  critical  position,  and  of  the  indispensable  necessity  of  cau- 
tion, to  a  man  in  his  situation. 

Le  Bourdon  now  seemingly  gave  all  his  attention  to  the 
rocks  where  he  stood,  and  out  of  which  the  much-coveted 
liquor  was  expected  to  flow;  though  his  thoughts  were  still 
busily  employed  in  considering  the  means  of  escape,  the  whole 
time.  While  stooping  over  the  different  pools,  and  laying  his 
plans  for  continuing  his  medicine-charms,  the  bee-hunter  saw 
how  near  he  had  been  to  committing  a  great  mistake.  It  was 
almost  as  indispensable  to  carry  off  the  canoe,  as  it  was  to 
carry  off  himself;  since,  with  the  canoe,  not  only  would  all  his 
own  property,  but  pretty  Margery,  and  Gershom  and  his  wife, 
be  at  the  mercy  of  the  Pottawattamies ;  whereas,  by  securing 
the  boat,  the  wide  Kalamazoo  would  serve  as  a  nearly  impas- 
sable barrier,  until  time  was  given  to  the  whites  to  escape.  His 
whole  plan  was  changed  by  this  suggestion,  and  he  no  longer 
thought  of  the  thicket  and  of  flight  inland.  At  the  same  time 
that  the  bee-hunter  was  laying  up  in  his  mind  ideas  so  import- 
ant to  his  future  movements,  he  did  not  neglect  the  necessary 
examination  of  the  means  that  might  be  required  to  extend 
and  prolong  his  influence  over  the  minds  of  the  superstitious 


142  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

children  of  the  forest  on  whom  he  was  required  tc  practise  his 
arts.  His  thoughts  reverted  to  the  canoe,  and  he  concocted  a 
plan  by  which  he  believed  it  possible  to  get  possession  of  his 
little  craft  again.  Once  on  board  it,  by  one  vigorous  shove  he 
fancied  he  might  push  it  within  the  cover  of  the  rice-plants, 
where  he  would  be  in  reasonable  safety  against  the  bullets  of 
the  savages.  Could  he  only  get  the  canoe  on  the  outer  side  of 
the  narrow  belt  of  the  plant,  he  should  deem  himself  safe  ! 

Having  arranged  his  course  in  his  own  mind,  le  Bourdon 
now  beckoned  to  Crowsfeather  to  draw  near,  at  the  same  time 
inviting  the  whole  party  to  approach  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
spot  where  he  himself  stood.  The  bee-hunter  had  brought 
with  him  from  the  boat,  a  fragment  of  the  larger  end  of  a  cane 
fishing-rod,  which  he  used  as  a  sort  of  wand.  Its  size  was  re- 
spectable, and  its  length  about  eight  feet.  "With  this  wand  he 
pointed  out  the  different  objects  he  named,  and  it  answered  the 
very  important  purpose  of  enabling  him  to  make  certain  small 
changes  in  the  formation  of  the  ground,  that  were  of  the  great- 
est service  to  him,  without  permitting  curious  eyes  to  come  so 
near  as  to  detect  his  artifices. 

"Now  open  your  ears,  Crowsfeather;  and  you,  Cloud;  and 
all  of  you,  young  braves,"  commenced  the  bee-hunter,  solemnly, 
and  with  a  steadiness  that  was  admirable;  "yes,  open  wide 
your  ears.  The  Great  Spirit  has  given  the  red  man  a  nose 
that  he  might  smell — does  the  Cloud  smell  more  than  common  ?" 

"  Sartain — smell  whiskey — this  Whiskey  Centre  dey  say — 
nat'ral  dat  such  smell  be  here." 

"Do  all  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  Pottawattamies  who 
are  present,  also  smell  the  same?" 

"S'pose  so — why  he  don't,  eh?  Got  nose — can  smell  whis- 
key good  way,  tell  you." 

4 'It  is  right  they  should  smell  the  liquor  here,  for  out  oi 
tins  rock  a  whiskey  spring  will  soon  begin  to  run.  It  will  be- 
gin with  a  very  small  stream,  but  soon  will  there  be  enough  to 
satisfy  everybody.  The  Great  Manitou  knows  that  his  red 
children  are  dry ;  he  has  sent  a  i  medicine-man'  of  the  pale-faces 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  143 

to  find  a  spring  for  them.  Now,  look  at  this  piece  of  rock — 
it  is  dry — not  even  the  dew  has  yet  moistened  it.  See — it  is 
made  like  a  wooden  bowl,  that  it  may  hold  the  liquor  of  the 
spring.  Let  Crowsfeather  smell  it — smell  it,  Cloud — let  all  my 
young  men  smell  it,  too,  that  they  may  be  certain  that  there  is 
nothing  there." 

On  this  invitation,  accompanied  as  it  was  by  divers  flourishes 
of  the  wand,  and  uttered  in  a  deep  solemn  tone  of  voice,  the 
whole  party  of  the  Indians  gathered  around  the  small  hollow 
basin-like  cavity  pointed  out  by  the  bee-hunter,  in  order  both 
to  see  and  to  smell.  Most  knelt,  and  each  and  all  applied  theii 
noses  to  the  rock,  as  near  the  bowl  as  they  could  thrust  them. 
Even  the  dignified  and  distrustful  Crowsfeather  could  not  re- 
frain from  bending  in  the  crowd.  This  was  the  moment  for 
which  le  Bourdon  wished,  and  he  instantly  prepared  to  carry 
out  his  design. 

Previously,  however,  to*  completing  the  project  originally 
conceived,  a  momentary  impulse  prevailed  wliich  urged  him  to 
adopt  a  new  mode  of  effecting  his  escape.  Now,  that  most  of 
the  savages  were  on  their  hands  and  knees,  struggling  to  get 
their  noses  as  near  as  possible  to  the  bowl,  and  all  were  intent 
on  the  same  object,  it  occurred  to  the  bee-hunter,  who  was  al- 
most as  active  as  the  panther  of  the  American  forest,  that  he 
might  dash  on  toward  the  canoe,  and  make  his  escape  without 
further  mummery.  Had  it  been  only  a  question  of  human 
speed,  perhaps  such  would  have  been  the  wisest  thing  he  could 
do  ;  but  a  moment's  reflection  told  him  how  much  swifter  than 
any  foot  of  man  was  the  bullet  of  a  rifle.  The  distance  ex- 
ceeded a  hundred  yards,  and  it  was  altogether  in  bright  light, 
by  means  of  the  two  fires,  Wolfseye  continuing  to  pile  brush 
on  that  near  which  he  still  maintained  his  post,  as  if  afraid  the 
precious  liquor  would  start  out  of  the  scent-spot,  and  be  wasted 
should  he  abandon  his  ward.  Happily,  therefore,  le  Bourdon 
relinquished  his  dangerous  project  almost  as  soon  as  it  was  enter- 
tained, turning  his  attention  immediately  to  the  completion  of 
the  plan  originally  laid. 


144  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

It  lias  been  said  that  the  bee-hunter  made  sundry  flourishes 
with  his  wand.  While  the  savages  were  most  eager  in  endeav- 
oring to  smell  the  rock,  he  lightly  touched  the  earth  that  con- 
fined the  whiskey  in  the  largest  pool,  and  opened  a  passage  by 
which  the  liquor  could  trickle  down  the  side  of  the  ro?k, 
selecting  a  path  for  itself,  until  it  actually  came  into  the  bowl, 
by  a  sinuous  but  certain  channel. 

Here  was  a  wonder!  Liquor  could  not  only  be  smellcd, 
t  ut  it  could  be  actually  seen  !  As  for  Cloud,  not  satisfied  with 
gratifying  the  two  senses  connected  with  the  discoveries  named, 
he  began  to  lap  with  his  tongue,  like  a  dog,  to  try  the  effect  of 
taste. 

"The  Manitou  does  not  hide  his  face  from  the  Pottawatta- 
mies  VI  exclaimed  this  savage,  rising  to  his  feet  in  astonish- 
ment ;  "this  is  the  fire-water,  and  such  as  the  pale-faces  bring 
us  for  skins !" 

Others  imitated  his  example,  and  the  exclamations  of  wonder 
and  delight  flew  from  mouth  to  mouth,  in  a  torrent  of  vehement 
assertions  and  ejaculations.  So  great  a  "  medicine"  charm  had 
never  before  been  witnessed  in  that  tribe,  or  in  that  region, 
and  a  hundred  more  might  succeed,  before  another  should 
equal  this  in  its  welcome  character.  There  was  whiskey,  of  a 
certainty,  not  much  in  quantity,  to  be  sure,  but  of  excellent 
quality,  as  several  affirmed,  and  coming  in  a  current  that  was 
slowly  increasing !  This  last  sign  was  owing  to  the  circum- 
stance that  le  Bourdon  had  deepened  the  outlet  of  the  pool, 
permitting  a  larger  quantity  to  flow  down  the  little  channel. 

The  moment  had  now  come  for  a  decisive  step.  The  bee- 
hunter  knew  that  his  precious  rivulet  would  soon  cease  to  run, 
and  that  he  must  carry  out  his  design  under  the  first  impres- 
sions of  his  charm,  or  that  he  probably  would  not  be  permitted 
to  carry  it  out,  at  all.  At  this  moment  even  Crowsfeather  ap- 
peared to  be  awed  by  what  he  had  seen ;  but  a  chief  so  saga- 
cious might  detect  the  truth,  and  disappointment  would  then 
be  certain  to  increase  the  penalties  he  would  incur. 

Making  many  sweeps  of    his  wand,   and  touching  various 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  145 

points  of  the  rock,  both  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  savages, 
and  to  divert  it  from  his  pool,  the  bee-hunter  next  felt  in  his 
pocket  and  drew  out  a  small  piece  of  resin  that  he  knew  was 
there ;  the  remains  of  a  store  with  which  he  resined  the  bow  of 
his  fiddle  ;  for  our  hero  had  a  violin  among  his  effects,  and 
often  used  it  in  his  solitary  abodes  in  the  openings.  Breaking 
this  resin  on  a  coal,  he  made  it  flash  and  blaze  ;  but  the  quan- 
tity was  too  small  to  produce  the  "  medicine-fire"  he  wanted. 

MI  have  more  in  my  canoe,"  he  said,  addressing  himself  to 
the  interpreter ;  "  while  I  go  for  it,  the  red  man  must  not  stir, 
lest  they  destroy  a  pale-face's  doings.  Least  of  all  they  must 
go  near  the  spring.  It  would  be  better  for  the  chiefs  to  lead 
away  their  young  men,  and  make  them  stand  under  the  oak, 
where  nothing  can  be  done  to  hurt  the  '  medicine-charm.'  " 

The  bee-hunter  pointed  to  a  tree  that  stood  in  the  direction 
of  the  canoe,  in  order  to  prevent  distrust,  though  he  had  taken 
care  to  select  a  spot  whence  the  little  craft  could  not  be  seen, 
on  account  of  an  intervening  swell  in  the  land.  Crowsfeather 
led  his  warriors  to  the  indicated  place,  where  they  took  their 
stations,  in  silent  and  grave  attention. 

In  the  meanwhile,  le  Bourdon  continued  his  incantations 
aloud ;  walking  toward  his  canoe,  waving  his  hand,  and  utter- 
ing a  great  deal  of  gibberish  as  he  slowly  proceeded.  In  pass- 
ing the  tree,  our  hero,  though  he  did  not  turn  his  head,  was 
sensible  that  he  was  followed  by  the  chiefs,  a  movement  against 
which  he  did  not  dare  to  remonstrate,  though  it  sadly  disap- 
pointed him.  Neither  hastening,  nor  retarding  his  steps,  how- 
ever, in  consequence  of  this  unpleasant  circumstance,  the  young 
man  continued  on ;  once  or  twice  sweeping  the  wand  behind 
him,  in  order  to  ascertain  if  he  could  reach  his  followers.  But 
Crowsfeather  and  his  companions  stopped  when  they  reached 
the  swell  of  land  which  concealed  the  canoe,  suffering  the 
"  medicine-  man"  to  move  on,  alone.  Of  this  fact  le  Bourdon 
became  aware,  by  turning  three  times  in  a  circle,  and  point- 
ing upward  at  the  heavens  with  his  wand,  as  he  did  so. 

It  was  a  nervous  moment  when  the  bee-hunter  reached  the 


14G  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

canoe.  He  did  not  like  to  look  behind  him,  again,  lest  the 
chiefs  should  suspect  his  motive,  and,  in_shoving  off  from  the 
shore,  he  might  do  so  within  a  few  yards  of  the  muzzle  of  a 
hostile  rifle.  There  was  no  time  to  lose,  however,  for  any  pro- 
tracted delay  on  his  part  would  certainly  cause  the  savages  to 
approach,  through  curiosity,  if  not  through  distrust  of  his  motives. 
He  stepped  into  his  light  craft,  therefore,  without  any  delay, 
still  flourishing  his  wand,  and  muttering  his  incantations.  The 
first  thing  was  to  walk  to  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  that  his  weight 
might  raise  the  bow  from  the  shore,  and  also  that  he  might 
have  an  excuse  for  turning  round,  and  thus  get  another  look  at 
the  Indians.  So  critical  was  his  situation,  and  so  nervous  did 
it  make  our  young  hero,  that  he  took  no  heed  of  the  state  of 
matters  in  the  canoe,  until  the  last  moment.  When  he  had 
turned,  however,  he  ascertained  that  the  two  principal  chiefs 
had  drawn  so  near  as  to  be  within  twenty  yards  of  him,  though 
neither  held  his  rifle  at  "  ready,"  but  each  leaned  on  it  in  a 
careless  manner,  as  if  in  no  anticipation  of  any  necessity  to 
make  a  speedy  use  of  the  weapon.  This  state  of  things  could 
not  last,  and  le  Bourdon  braced  his  nerves  for  the  final  trial. 
On  looking  for  his  paddle,  however,  he  found  that  of  three, 
which  the  canoe  had  contained  when  he  left  it,  not  even  one 
was  to  be  seen  !  These  wily  savages  had,  out  of  all  question, 
taken  their  opportunity  to  remove  and  secrete  these  simple,  but 
almost  indispensable,  means  of  motion. 

At  the  instant  when  first  apprised  of  the  loss  just  mentioned, 
the  bee-hunter's  heart  sunk  within  him,  and  he  fell  into  the 
seat  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  nearly  with  the  weight  of  so  much 
lead.  Then  a  species  of  desperation  came  over  him,  and  put- 
ting an  end  of  his  cane  wand  upon  the  bottom,  with  a  vigorous 
shove,  he  forced  the  canoe  swiftly  astern  and  to  windward. 
Sudden  as  was  this  attempt,  and  rapid  as  was  the  movement, 
the  jealous  eyes  and  ready  hands  of  the  chiefs  seemed  to  antici- 
pate it.  Two  shots  were  fired'  within  a  few  seconds  after  the 
canoe  had  quitted  the  shore.  The  reports  of  the  rifles  were  a 
declaration  of  hostilities,  and  a  general  yell,  accompanied  by  a 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  147 

common  rush  toward  the  river,  announced  that  the  whole  band 
now  understood  that  some  deception  had  been  practised  at  their 
expense. 

Although  the  two  chiefs  in  advance  had  been  so  very  prompt, 
they  were  not  quick  enough  for  the  rapid  movement  of  the 
canoe.  The  distance  between  the  stern  of  the  boat  and  the 
rice-plants,  was  so  small,  that  the  single  desperate  shove  given 
by  the  bee-hunter,  sufficed  to  bury  his  person  in  the  cover,  be- 
fore the  leaden  messengers  reached  him.  Anticipating  this 
very  attempt,  and  knowing  that  the  savages  might  get  their 
range  from  the  part  of  the  canoe  that  was  still  in  sight,  le  Bour- 
don bent  his  body  far  over  the  gunwale,  grasping  the  rice-plants 
at  the  same  time,  and  hauling  his  little  craft  through  them,  in 
the  way  that  sailors  call  "  hand  over  hand."  This  expedient 
most  probably  saved  his  life.  While  bending'  over  the  gunwale, 
he  heard  the  crack  of  the  rifles,  and  the  whizzing  of  two  bullets 
that  appeared  to  pass  just  behind  him.  By  this  time  the  whole 
of  the  canoe  was  within  the  cover. 

In  a  moment  like  that  we  are  describing,  incidents  pass  so 
rapidly  as  almost  to  defy  description.  It  was  not  twenty  sec- 
onds from  the  instant  when  le  Bourdon  first  put  his  wand  down 
to  push  the  canoe  from  the  land,  ere  he  found  his  person  emerg- 
ing from  the  cover,  on  its  weather  side.  Here  he  was  effec- 
tually concealed  from  his  enemies,  not  only  on  account  of  the 
cover  made  by  the  rice-plants,  but  by  reason  of  the  darkness  ; 
the  light  not  extending  far  enough  from  the  fire  to  illumine  ob- 
jects on  the  river.  Nevertheless,  new  difficulties  presented 
themselves.  When  clear  of  the  rice,  the  wind,  which  still  blew 
strong,  pressed  upon  his  canoe  to  such  a  degree,  as  not  only  tc 
stop  its  further  movement  from  the  shore,  but  so  as  to  turn  it 
broadside  to,  to  its  power.  Trying  with  his  wand,  the  bee- 
hunter  ascertained  that  it  would  no  longer  reach  the  bottom. 
Then  he  attempted  to  use  the  cane  as  a  paddle,  but  soon  found 
it  had  not  sufficient  hold  of  the  water  to  answer  for  such  an 
implement.  The  most  he  could  effect  with  it,  in  that  way,  was 
to  keen  the  canoe  for  a  short  distance  along  the  outer  edge  of 


148  THE      OAK      OtENlNGS. 

the  rice,  until  it  reached  a  spot  where  the  plant  extended  a  con- 
siderable distance  farther  toward  the  middle  of  the  river.  Once 
within  this  little  forest  of  the  wild  rice,  he  was  enabled  to  drag 
the  canoe  farther  and  further  from  the  north  shore,  though  his 
progress  was  both  slow  and  laborious,  on  account  of  the  resist- 
ance met. 

All  this  time,  the  savages  were  not  idle.  Until  the  canoe 
got  within  its  new  cover,  it  was  at  no  instant  fifty  yards  from  the 
beach,  and  the  yells,  and  orders,  and  whoopings  sounded  as  if 
uttered  directly  in  le  Bourdon's  ear.  A  splashing  in  the  watei 
soon  announced  that  our  fugitive  was  pursued  by  swimmers. 
As  the  savages  knew  that  the  bee-hunter  was  without  a  paddle, 
and  that  the  wind  blew  fresh,  the  expectation  of  overtaking 
their  late  captive,  in  this  manner,  was  by  no  means  chimerical. 
Half  a  dozen  active  young  men  would  prove  very  formidable  to 
one  in  such  a  situation,  more  especially  while  entangled  in  the 
mazes  of  the  rice-plant.  The  bee-hunter  was  so  well  convinced 
of  this  circumstance,  that  no  sooner  did  he  hear  the  plashes  of 
the  swimmers,  than  he  redoubled  his  exertions  to  pull  his  canoe 
farther  from  the  spot.  But  his  progress  was  slow,  and  he  was 
soon  convinced  that  his  impunity  was  more  owing  to  the  fact 
that  his  pursuers  did  not  know  where  to  find  him,  than  to  the 
rapidity  of  his  flight. 

Notwithstanding  his  exertions,  and  the  start  obtained,  le 
Bourdon  soon  felt  assured  that  the  swimmers  were  within  a 
hundred  feet  of  him,  their  voices  coming  from  the  outer  margin 
of  the  cover  in  which  he  now  lay,  stationary.  He  had  ceased 
dragging  the  canoe  ahead,  from  an  apprehension  of  being  heard, 
though  the  rushing  of  the  wind  and  the  rustling  of  the  rice 
might  have  assured  him  that  the  slight  noises  made  by  his  own 
movements  would  not  be  very  likely  to  rise  above  those  sounds. 
The  splashing  of  the  swimmers,  and  their  voices,  gradually 
drew  nearer,  until  the  bee-hunter  took  up  his  rifle,  determined 
to  sacrifice  the  first  savage  who  approached ;  hoping,  thereby, 
to  intimidate  the  others.  For  the  first  time,  it  now  occurred 
to  him  that  the  breech  of  his  rifle  might  be  used  as  a  paddle, 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  149 

and  lie  was  resolved  to  apply  it  to  that  service,  could  lie  once 
succeed  in  extricating  himself  from  the  enemies  by  whom  he 
was  nearly  environed,  and  from  the  rice. 

Just  as  le  Bourdon  fancied  that  the  crisis  had  arrived,  and 
that  he  should  soon  be  called  on  to  kill  his  man,  a  shout  was 
given  by  a  savage  at  some  distance  in  the  river,  and  presently 
calls  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  among  the  swimmers.  Our 
hero  now  listened  to  a  degree  that  kept  his  faculty  of  hearing 
at  a  point  of  painful  attention.  The  voices  and  plashes  on  the 
water  receded,  and  what  was  startling,  a  sound  was  heard  re- 
sembling that  which  is  produced  by  a  paddle  when  struck 
mcautiously  against  the  side  of  a  canoe.  Was  it  then  possible 
that  the  Chippewa  was  out,  or  had  the  Pottawattamies  one 
boat  that  had  escaped  his  attention  ?  The  last  was  not  very 
probable,  as  he  had  several  times  counted  their  little  fleet,  and 
was  pretty  sure  of  having  taken  it  ail  to  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  The  sound  of  the  paddle  was  repeated,  however ;  then 
it  occurred  to  the  bee-hunter,  that  Pigeonswing  might  be  on 
the  scent  for  another  scalp. 

Although  the  conjecture  just  mentioned  was  exceedingly 
unpleasant  to  le  Bourdon,  the  chase  of  the  strange  canoe  gave 
him  an  opportunity  to  drag  his  own  light  craft  ahead,  penetrat- 
ing deeper  and  deeper  among  the  wild  rice,  which  now  spread 
itself  to  a  considerable  distance  from^  the  shore,  and  grew  so 
thick  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  get  through  the  waving  mass. 
At  length,  wearied  with  his  exertions,  and  a  little  uncertain  as 
to  his  actual  position,  our  hero  paused,  listening  intently,  in 
order  to  catch  any  sounds  that  might  direct  his  future  move  - 
ments. 

By  this  time  the  savages  had  ceased  to  call  to  each  other ; 
most  probably  conscious  of  the  advantage  it  gave  the  fugitive. 
The  bee-hunter  perfectly  understood  that  his  pursuers  must  be 
aware  of  its  being  entirely  out  of  his  power  to  get  to  windward, 
and  that  they  would  keep  along  the  shore  of  the  river,  as  he 
did  himself,  expecting  to  see  his  canoe,  sooner  or  later  driven 
by  the  wind  on  the  beach.     This  had  made  him  anxious  to 


150  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

drag  his  boat  as  much  toward  the  outer  edge  of  the  rice  as  ho 
could  get  it,  and  by  the  puffs  of  wind  that  he  occasionally  felt, 
he  hoped  he  had,  in  a  great  measure,  effected  his  purpose.  Still 
he  had  his  apprehensions  of  the  savages ;  as  some  would  be 
very  apt  to  swim  quite  out  into  the  stream,  not  only  to  look 
for  him,  but  to  avoid  being  entangled  among  the  plants.  It 
was  only  in  the  natural  channels  of  the  rice,  of  which  there 
were  a  good  many,  that  a  swimmer  could  very  readily  make 
his  way,  or  be  in  much  safety.  By  waiting  long  enough,  more 
over,  the  bee-hunter  was  sure  he  should  tire  out  his  pursuers, 
and  thus  get  rid  of  them. 

Just  as  le  Bourdon  began  to  think  this  last  mentioned  pur- 
pose had  been  accomplished,  he  heard  low  voices  directly  to 
windward,  and  the  plashing  of  water,  as  if  more  than  one  man 
was  coming  down  upon  him,  forcing  the  stalks  of  the  plants 
aside.  He  grasped  the  rifle,  and  let  the  canoe  drift,  which  it 
did  slowly,  under  the  power  of  the  wind,  notwithstanding  the 
protection  of  the  cover.  The  swimmers  forced  their  way 
through  the  stalks ;  but  it  was  evident,  just  then,  that  they  were 
more  occupied  by  their  present  pursuit  than  in  looking  for  him. 
Presently  a  canoe  came  brushing  through  the  rice,  forced  by 
the  wind,  and  dragged  by  two  savages,  one  of  whom  swam  on 
each  bow.  The  last  did  not  see  the  bee-hunter,  or  his  canoe, 
the  one  nearest  having  his  face  turned  in  the  opposite  direction ; 
but  they  were  distinctly  seen  by  the  former.  Surprised  that 
a  seizure  should  be  made  with  so  little  fracas,  le  Bourdon  bent 
forward  to  look  the  better,  and,  as  the  stern  of  the  strange  canoe 
came  almost  under  his  eyes,  he  saw  the  form  of  Margery  lying 
in  its  bottom.  His  blood  curdled  at  this  sight ;  for,  his  first 
impression  was,  that  the  charming  young  creature  had  been 
killed  and  scalped  ;  but  there  being  no  time  to  lose,  he  sprang 
lightly  from  one  canoe  to  the  other,  carrying  the  rifle  in  his 
hand.  As  he  struck  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  of  Gershom,  he 
heard  his  name  uttered  in  a  sweet  female  voice,  and  knew  that 
Margery  was  living.  "Without  stopping,  however,  to  inquire 
more,  he  moved  to  the  head  of  the  canoe,  and  with  a  sharp  blow 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  151 

on  the  fingers,  made  eacli  of  the  savages  release  his  grasp. 
Then,  seizing  the  rice-plants,  he  dragged  the  little  craft  swiftly 
to  windward  again.  All  Ihis  was  done,  as  it  might  be  in  an 
instant ;  the  savages  and  the  canoe  being  separated  some  twenty 
feet,  in  much  less  time  than  is  required  to  relate  the  occurrence. 

"  Bourdon,  are  you  injured  ?"  asked  Margery,  her  voice 
trembling  with  anxiety. 

"Not  in  the  least,  dear  Margery — and  you,  my  excellent 
girl?" 

"They  caught  my  canoe,  and  I  almost  died  of  fright;  but 
they  have  only  dragged  it  toward  the  shore." 

"  God  be  praised  !     Is  there  any  paddle  in  the  canoe  f" 

"  There  are  several — one  is  at  your  feet,  Bourdon — and  here, 
I  have  another.'' 

"  Then,  let  us  search  for  my  canoe,  and  get  out  of  the  rice. 
If  we  can  but  find  my  canoe,  we  shall  be  safe  enough,  for  the 
savages  have  nothing  in  which  to  cross  the  river.  Keep  your 
eyes  about  you,  Margery,  and  look  among  the  rice  for  the  other 
boat." 

The  search  was  not  long,  but  it  was  intently  anxious.  At 
length  Margery  saw  the  lost  canoe  just  as  it  was  drifting  past 
them,  and  it  was  secured  immediately.  In  a  few  minutes, 
le  Bourdon  succeeded  in  forcing  the  two  craft  into  open  water, 
when  it  was  easy  for  him  to  paddle  both  to  windward.  The 
reader  can  readily  imagine  that  our  hero  did  not  permit  many 
minutes  to  elapse,  ere  he  questioned  his  companion  on  the  sub- 
ject of  her  adventures.  Nor  was  Margery  reluctant  to  tell 
them.  She  had  become  alarmed  at  le  Bourdon's  protracted 
absence,  and  taking  advantage  of  Pigeonswing  lying  down,  she 
unloaded  her  brother's  canoe,  and  went  out  into  the  river  to 
look  for  the  absent  one.  As  a  matter  of  course — though  so 
feminine  and  far  removed  from  all  appearance  of  coarseness,  a 
true  American  girl  in  this  respect — Margery  knew  perfectly 
well  how  to  manage  a  bark  canoe.  The  habits  of  her  life  for 
the  last  few  years,  made  her  acquainted  with  this  simple  art ; 
and  strength  being  much  less  needed  than  skill,  she  had  no 


152  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

difficulty  in  going  whither  she  wished.  The  fires  served  as 
beacons,  and  Margery  had  been  a  distant  witness  of  the  bee- 
hunter's  necromancy  as  well  as  Qf  his  escape.  The  instant  the 
latter  wras  effected,  she  endeavored  to  join  him ;  and  it  was 
while  incautiously  paddling  along  the  outer  edge  of  the  rice, 
with  this  intention,  that  her  canoe  was  seized  by  two  of  the 
swimmers.  As  soon  as  these  last  ascertained  that  they  had 
captured  a  "  squaw,"  they  did  not  give  themselves  the  trouble 
to  get  into  the  canoe — a  very  difficult  operation  with  one  made 
of  bark,  and  which  is  not  loaded — but  they  set  about  towing 
the  captured  craft  to  the  shore,  swimming  each  with  a  single 
hand,  and  holding  on  by  the  other. 

"  I  shall  not  soon  forget  this  kindness  of  yours,  Margery," 
said  le  Bourdon,  with  warmth,  when  the  girl  had  ended  her 
simple  tale,  which  had  been  related  in  the  most  artless  and 
ingenuous  manner.  "  No  man  could  forget  so  generous  a  risk 
on  the  part  of  a  young  woman  in  his  behalf." 

"I  hope  you  do  not  think  it  wrong,  Bourdon — I  should  be 
sorry  to  have  you  think  ill  of  me !" 

"  Wrong,  dear  Margery! — but  no  matter.  Let  us  get  our- 
selves out  of  present  difficulties,  and  into  a  place  of  safety  ; 
then  I  will  tell  you  honestly  what  I  think  of  it,  and  of  you, 
too.  Was  your  brother  awake,  dear  Margery,  when  you  left 
the  family  f" 

"  I  believe  not — he  sleeps  long  and  heavily  after  drinking. 
But  he  can  now  drink  no  more,  until  he  reaches  the  settle- 
ments." 

"  Not  unless  he  find  the  whiskey  spring,"  returned  the  bee- 
hunter,  laughing. 

The  young  man  then  related  to  his  wondering  companion  the 
history  of  the  mummery  and  incantations  of  which  she  had 
been  a  distant  spectator.  Lc  Bourdon's  heart  was  light,  after 
his  hazards  and  escape,  and  his  spirits  rose  as  his  narrative  pro- 
ceeded. Nor  was  pretty  Margery  in  a  mood  to  balk  his  humor. 
As  the  bee-hunter  recounted  his  contrivances  to  elude  the 
savages,  and  most  especially  when  he  gave  the  particulars  of 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS 


IDA 


the  manner  in  which  he  managed  to  draw  whiskey  out  of  the 
living  rock,  the  girl  joined  in  his  merriment,  and  filled  the  boat; 
with  that  melody  of  the  laugh  of  her  years  and  sex,  which  is  so 
beautifully  described  by  Halleck. 


\tu^ 


J  64  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

M  The  tilings  that  once  she  loved  are  still  the  same ; 
Yet  now  there  needs  another  name 
To  give  the  feeling  which  they  claim, 

While  she  the  feeling  gives ; 
She  cannot  call  it  gladness  or  delight ; 
And  yet  there  seems  a  richer,  lovelier  light 
On  e^n  the  humblest  thing  that  lives." 

"Washington  Alston. 

The  history  given  by  le  Bourdon  lasted  until  the  canoes 
reached  the  south  shore.  Glad  enough  was  Dorothy  to  see 
them  both  safe  back,  for  neither  of  her  companions  had  yet 
awoke.  It  was  then  midnight,  and  all  now  retired  to  seek  the 
rest  which  might  be  so  needful  to  prepare  them  for  the  exer- 
tions of  the  next  day.  The  bee-hunter  slept  in  his  canoe,  while 
Margery  shared  the  buffalo-skin  of  her  sister. 

As  perfect  security,  for  the  moment  at  least,  was  felt  by  the 
sleepers,  their  slumbers  were  sound,  and  reached  into  the  morn- 
ing. Then  le  Bourdon  arose,  and  withdrawing  to  a  proper  dis- 
tance, he  threw  off  his  clothes  and  plunged  into  the  stream,  in 
conformity  with  a  daily  practice  of  his  at  that  genial  season  of 
the  year.  After  bathing,  the  young  man  ascended  a  hill,  whence 
he  might  get  a  good  view  of  the  opposite  shore,  and  possibly 
obtain  some  notion  of  what  the  Pottawattamies  were  about.  In 
all  his  movements,  however,  the  bee-hunter  had  an  eye  to  the 
concealment  of  his  person,  it  being  of  the  last  importance  that 
the  savages  should  not  learn  his  position.  "With  the  intention 
of  concealment,  the  fire  had  been  suffered  to  go  down,  a  smoke 
being  a  sign  that  no  Indian  would  be  likely  to  overlook.  As 
for  the  canoes  and  the  bivouac  of  the  party,  the  wild  rice  and 
an  intermediate  hill  formed  a  perfect  cover,  so  long  as  nothing 
was  shown  above  them. 

From  the  height  to  which  he  ascended,  the  bee-hunter,  aided 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  155 

by  his  glass,  got  a  very  clear  view  of  Whiskey  Centre  and  the 
parts  adjacent.  The  savages  were  already  stirring,  and  were 
busy  in  the  various  avocations  of  the  red  man  on  a  war-path. 
One  party  was  disposing  of  the  body  of  their  dead  companion. 
Several  were  cooking,  or  cleaning  the  wild-fowl  shot  in  the 
bay,  while  a  group  was  collected  near  the  spot  of  the  wished- 
for  spring,  reluctant  to  abandon  the  hopes  to  which  it  had  given 
birth,  at  the  very  moment  they  were  plotting  to  obtain  the 
scalp  of  the  " medicine-man."  The  beloved  "fire-water/'  that 
seduces  so  many  to  their  destruction,  who  have  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  moral  teaching,  and  which  has  been  a  withering 
curse  on  the  red  man  of  this  continent,  still  had  its  influence ; 
and  the  craving  appetites  of  several  of  the  drunkards  of  the 
party  brought  them  to  the  spot,  as  soon  as  their  eyes  opened 
on  the  new  day.  The  bee-hunter  could  see  some  of  this  cluster 
kneeling  on  the  rocks,  lapping  like  hounds  at  the  scattered 
little  pools  of  the  liquor,  while  others  scented  around,  in  the 
hope  of  yet  discovering  the  bird  that  laid  the  golden  egg.  Le 
Bourdon  had  now  little  expectation  that  his  assumed  character 
could  be  maintained  among  these  savages  any  longer,  did  acci- 
dent again  throw  him  in  their  way.  The  chiefs,  he  saw,  had 
distrusted  him  all  along,  but  had  given  him  an  opportunity  to 
prove  what  he  could  do,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  more  vulgar 
curiosity  of  their  young  men.  He  wisely  determined,  therefore, 
to  keep  out  of  the  hands  of  his  enemies. 

Although  le  Bourdon  could  hold  a  conversation  in  the 
tongue  of  the  Ojebways,  he  was  not  fond  of  so  doing.  He 
comprehended  without  difficulty  nearly  all  of  what  was  said 
by  them,  and  had  observed  the  previous  night  that  the  warriors 
made  many  allusions  to  a  chief  whom  they  styled  Onoah,  but 
who  he  himself  knew  was  usually  called  Scalping  Peter  among 
the  whites  of  that  frontier.  This  savage  had  a  fearful  reputa- 
tion at  all  the  garrisons,  though  he  never  showed  himself  in 
them ;  and  he  was  now  spoken  of  by  the  Pottawattamies  pres- 
ent, as  if  they  expected  to  meet  him  soon,  and  to  be  governed 
by  his  commands  or  his  advice.  The  bee-hunter  had  paid  gre.'it 


156  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

attention  whenever  this  dreaded  name  was  mentioned,  for  he 
was  fully  aware  of  the  importance  of  keeping  clear  of  an  enemy 
who  bore  so  bad  a  reputation  that  it  was  not  considered  pru- 
dent for  a  white  man  to  remain  long  in  his  company  even  in  a 
time  of  peace.  His  English  sobriquet  had  been  obtained  from 
the  circumstances  of  its  being  reputed  that  this  chief,  who 
seemed  to  belong  to  no  tribe  in  particular,  while  he  had  great 
influence  with  all,  had  on  divers  occasions  murdered  the  pale- 
faces who  fell  in  his  way,  and  then  scalped  them.  It  was  added, 
that  he  had  already  forty  notches  on  his  pole,  to  note  that 
number  of  scalps  taken  from  the  hated  whites.  In  short,  this 
Indian,  a  sort  of  chief  by  birth,  though  of  what  tribe  no  one 
exactly  knew,  appeared  to  live  only  to  revenge  the  wrongs  done 
his  color  by  the  intruders,  who  had  come  from  toward  the  rising 
sun  to  drive  his  people  into  the  great  salt  lake  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Eocky  Mountains.  Of  course  there  was  a  good  deal 
that  was  questionable  in  these  reports;  a  rumor  in  the  " open- 
ings" and  on  the  prairies,  having  this  general  resemblance  to 
those  that  circulate  in  town,  and  in  drawing-rooms,  and  at 
feasts,  that  no  one  of  them  all  can  be  relied  on  as  rigidly  exact. 
But  le  Bourdon  was  still  young,  and  had  yet  to  learn  how  little 
of  that  which  we  all  hear  is  true,  and  how  very  much  is  false. 
Nevertheless,  as  an  Indian  tradition  is  usually  more  accurate 
than  a  white  man's  written  history,  so  is  a  rumor  of  the  forest 
generally  entitled  to  more  respect  than  the  ceaseless  gossipings 
of  the  beings  who  would  be  affronted  were  they  not  accounted 
civilized. 

The  bee-hunter  was  still  on  the  elevated  bit  of  ground,  mak- 
ing his  observations,  when  he  was  joined  by  Margery.  The 
girl  appeared  fresh  and  handsome,  after  a  night  of  sleep,  and 
coming  from  her  dressing-room  in  a  thicket,  and  over  a  stream 
of  sweet  running  water ;  but  she  was  sad  and  thoughtful.  No 
sooner  had  le  Bourdon  shaken  her  hand,  and  repeated  his 
thanks  for  the  succor  of  the  past  night,  than  the  full  heart  of 
Margery  poured  out  its  feelings,  as  the  swollen  stream  overflows 
its  banks,  and  began  to  weep. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  157 

"Brother  is  awake,"  she  said,  as  soon  as  her  sobs  were 
quieted  by  a  powerful  effect ;  "  but,  as  is  usual  with  him  after 
hard  drinking,  so  stupid,  that  Dolly  cannot  make  him  under- 
stand our  danger.  He  tells  her  he  has  seen  too  many  Injins  to 
be  afraid  of  these,  and  that  they  will  never  harm  a  family  that 
has  brought  so  much  liquor  into  their  country." 

"  His  senses  must  be  at  a  low  ebb,  truly,  if  he  counts  on 
Injin  friendship  because  he  has  sold  fire-water  to  the  young 
men  I"  answered  le  Bourdon,  with  a  nice  understanding  of  not 
only  Indian  nature,  but  of  human  nature.  i i  We  may  like  the 
sin,  Margery,  while  we  detest  the  tempter.  I  have  never  yet 
met  with  the  man,  pale-face  or  redskin,  who  did  not  curse, 
in  his  sober  moments,  the  hand  that  fed  his  appetite  while 
intoxicated." 

"  I  dare  say  that  may  be  very  true,"  returned  the  girl,  in  a 
low  voice;  "but  one  has  need  of  his  reason  to  understand  it. 
What  will  become  of  us  now,  it  is  hard  to  say. " 

"Why,  7ioiv,  Margery,  more  than  yesterday,  or  the  day 
before?" 

"Yesterday  there  were  no  savages  near  us,  and  Gershom 
had  all  along  told  us  he  intended  to  start  for  the  garrison  at 
the  head  of  the  lake,  as  soon  as  he  got  back  from  his  visit  to 
the  openings.  He  is  back ;  but  not  in  a  state  to  protect  his 
wife  and  sister  from  the  red  man,  who  will  be  looking  for  us 
as  soon  as  they  can  build  a  canoe,  or  any  thing  that  will  do  to 
cross  the  river  with." 

"Had  they  even  a  canoe,"  returned  le  Bourdon,  coolly, 
' '  they  would  not  know  where  to  look  for  us.  Thank  Heaven ! 
that  will  be  a  job  that  would  take  some  time ;  nor  is  a  bark 
canoe  built  in  a  minute.  But,  Margery,-  if  your  brother  be  a 
little  dull  and  heavy,  after  his  debauch,  /  am  sober,  and  as 
much  awake  as  ever  I  was  in  my  life." 

"Oh!  you  have  no  weakness  like  that  of  poor  brother's,  to 
make  you  otherwise  ;  but,  Bourdon,  you  will  naturally  wish  to 
take  care  of  yourself  and  your  property,  and  will  quit  us  tho 
first  good  opportunity.     I'm  sure  that  we  have  no  right  to  ex- 


158  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

pect  you  will  stay  a  minute  longer  than  it  is  your  interest  to  do 
so,  and  I  do  not  know  that  I  wish  it." 

"Not  wish  it,  Margery!"  exclaimed  the  bee-hunter,  in  the 
manner  of  a  disappointed  man.  "  I  had  supposed  you  ivould 
have  wished  my  company.  But,  now  I  know  the  contrary, 
I  shall  not  much  care  how  soon  I  go,  or  into  whose  hands 
I  fall." 

Tt  is  strange  how  apt  are  those  who  ought  to  understand  one 
another  so  readily,  to  misinterpret  each  other's  thoughts. 
Margery  had  never  seen  the  bee-hunter  twenty-four  hours  be- 
fore, though  she  had  often  heard  of  him,  and  of  his  success  in 
his  art ;  for  the  fame  of  a  man  of  good  reputation  and  active 
qualities  spreads  far  on  a  frontier.  The  very  individual  whose 
existence  would  be  nearly  overlooked  in  a  crowded  region, 
shall  be  spoken  of,  and  known  by  his  qualities,  a  hundred 
leagues  from  his  place  of  residence,  when  settlements  are  few 
and  far  apart.  In  this  way,  Margery  had  heard  of  Boden,  or 
of  "  Bourdon,"  as  she  called  him,  in  common  with  hundreds 
who,  confounding  his  real  name  with  his  sobriquet,  made  the 
mistake  of  using  the  last,  under  the  impression  that  it  was  the 
true  appellation.  Margery  had  no  other  knowledge  of  French 
than  the  few  words  gleaned  in  her  slow  progress  among  a 
frontier  on  which,  it  is  true,  more  of  that  language  than  of  any 
other  was  heard,  but  heard  under  circumstances  that  were  not 
particularly  favorable  to  the  acquisition  of  a  foreign  tongue. 
Had  she  understood  the  real  meaning  of  "  Bourdon,"  she  would 
have  bitten  off  her  tongue  before  she  would  have  once  called 
Boden  by  such  an  appellation ;  though  the  bee-hunter  himself  was 
so  accustomed  to  his  Canadian  nickname  as  to  care  nothing 
at  all  about  it.  But  Margery  did  not  like  to  give  pain  to  any 
one;  and,  least  of  all,  would  she  desire  to  inflict  it  on  the  bee- 
hunter,  though  he  were  only  an  acquaintance  of  a  day.  Still, 
Margery  could  not  muster  sufficient  courage  to  tell  her  new 
friend  how  much  he  was  mistaken,  and  that  of  all  the  youths 
she  had  ever  met,  she  would  most  prefer  to  keep  him  near  her 
brother  and  sister  in  their  distress ;  while  the  young  man,  in- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  159 

spired  by  a  pure  and  infant  passion,  was  just  in  the  frame  of 
mind  to  believe  trie  worst  of  himself,  and  of  his  claims  to  the 
attention  of  her  who  had  begun  to  occupy  so  many  of  his 
thoughts. 

No  explanation  occurring,  our  young  people  descended  from 
the  hill,  misconceiving  each  other's  meaning  and  wishes,  and 
unhappy  under  the  influence  of  an  ideal  source  of  misery,  when 
actual  circumstances  created  so  many  that  were  substantial  and 
real.  Gershom  was  found  awake,  but  as  his  sister  had  describ- 
ed him,  stupid  and  lethargic.  The  bee-hunter  at  once  saw- 
that,  in  his  present  condition,  Whiskey  Centre  would  still  be 
an  incumbrance  rather  than  of  any  service,  in  the  event  of  an 
occasion  for  extraordinary  exertion.  Margery  had  hinted  that 
it  usually  took  twenty-four  hours  to  bring  her  brother  entirely 
round,  after  one  of  his  serious  debauches ;  and  within  that 
time  it  was  more  than  probable  that  the  fate  of  the  family 
would  be  decided. 

Le  Bourdon  thought  intently,  during  breakfast,  of  the  con- 
dition of  his  party,  and  of  the  best  mode  of  proceeding,  while 
the  pallid  and  anxious  young  creature  at  his  side  believed  he 
was  deliberating  solely  on  the  best  means  of  extricating  himself 
and  his  store  of  honey,  from  the  savages  on  the  other  shore. 
Had  the  acquaintance  between  these  young  people  been  of  longer 
date  than  it  actually  was,  Margery  could  not  have  entertained 
a  notion  so  injurious  to  the  bee-hunter,  for  a  single  moment ; 
but  there  was  nothing  either  violent,  or  depreciating,  in  sup- 
posing that  one  so  near  being  a  total  stranger  would  think  first 
of  himself  and  his  own  interests,  in  the  situation  in  which  this 
young  man  was  now  placed. 

Little  was  said  during  the  meal.  Dorothy  was  habitually 
silent ;  the  result  of  grief  and  care.  As  for  her  husband,  he 
was  too  stupid  to  talk,  though  usually  somewhat  garrulous  ; 
while  the  Indian  seldom  did  two  things  at  the  same  time.  This 
was  the  hour  for  acting;  when  that  for  talking  should  arrive,  he 
would  be  found  equal  to  its  duties.  Pigeonswing  could  either 
abstain  from  food,  or  could  indulge  in  it  without  measure,  just 


160  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

as  occasion  offered.  He  had  often  gone  for  days  without 
tasting  a  mouthful,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  berries,  per- 
haps ;  and  he  had  lain  about  the  camp-fire,  a  week  at  a  time, 
gorging  himself  with  venison,  like  an  anaconda.  It  is  perhaps 
fortunate  for  the  American  Indian,  that  this  particular  quality 
of  food  is  so  very  easy  of  digestion,  since  his  excesses  on  it  are 
notorious,  and  so  common  to  his  habits  as  almost  to  belong  to 
his  nature.     Death  might  otherwise  often  be  the  consequence. 

When  the  breakfast  was  ended,  it  was  time  to  consult  about 
the  future  course.  As  yet,  the  Pottawattamies  had  made  no 
new  discovery  ;  but  the  sagacity  of  the  red  man  was  ever  to  be 
feared,  when  it  came  to  be  merely  a  question  of  finding  his  foe 
in  a  forest. 

"  We  have  obtained  one  advantage  over  the  enemy,"  said  lc 
Bourdon,  "  by  crossing  the  river.  Water  leaves  no  trail;  even 
had  Crowsfeather  a  canoe,  he  might  not  know  where  to  go  in 
it,  in  order  to  find  us." 

"Dat  not  so,"  put  in  the  Chippewra,  a  little  dogmatically ; 
"know  we  hab  canoe — know  cross  river  in  him." 

"  Why  should  they  know  this,  Pigeonswing  ?  We  may  have 
gone  out  upon  the  lake,  or  we  may  have  gone  up  in  the  oak 
openings  again,  for  any  thing  the  Pottawrattamies  can  know  to 
the  contrary." 

u  Tell  you,  not  so.  Know  don't  go  on  lake,  cause  wind  blowr. 
Know  don't  go  up  river,  cause  dat  hard  work ;  know  come 
here,  cause  dat  easy.  Injin  like  to  do  what  easy,  and  pale-face 
do  just  what  Injin  do.  Crowsfeather  make  raft,  pretty  soon ; 
den  he  come  look  arter  scalp." 

"Yes,"  said  Margery;  gently;  "you  had  better  load  your 
canoe  at  once,  and  go  on  the  lake,  while  the  savages  cannot 
reach  you.  The  wind  is  fair  for  them  that  are  to  go  north ;  and 
I  have  heard  you  say  that  you  are  bound  to  Mackinaw." 

"  I  shall  load  my  canoe,  and  I  shall  loadyowrs,  too,  Margery; 
but  I  shall  not  go  away  from  this  family,  so  long  as  any  in  it 
stand  in  need  of  my  services." 

"  Brother  will  be  able  to  help  us  by  afternoon.    He  manages 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  161 

a  canoe  well,  when  himself;  so  go,  Bourdon,  while  you  can. 
I  dare  say  you  have  a  mother  at  home ;  or  a  sister — perhaps  a 
wife—"      *  .' ..  * 

M  Neither,"  interrupted  the  bee-hunter,  with  emphasis.  "  No 
one  expects  me ;  no  one  has  a  right  to  expect  me." 

The  color  stole  into  pretty  Margery's  cheeks  as  she  heaid 
these  words,  and  a  ray  of  comfort  gleamed  on  an  imagination 
that,  for  the  last  hour,  had  been  portraying  the  worst.  Still, 
her  generous  temper  did  not  like  the  idea  of  the  bee-hunter'  i\ 
sacrificing  himself  for  those  who  had  so  few  claims  on  him,  and 
she  could  not  but  again  admonish  him  of  the  necessity  of  los- 
ing no  time. 

"You  will  think  better  of  this,  Bourdon,"  the  girl  resumed. 
"We  are  going  south,  and  cannot  quit  the  river  with  this  wind, 
but  you  could  not  have  a  better  time  to  go  north,  unless  the 
wind  blows  harder  than  I  think  it  does." 

"The  lake  is  a  bad  water  for  a  canoe,  when  there  is  much 
wind,"  put  in  Gershom,  yawning  after  he  had  spoken,  as  if  the 
effort  fatigued  him.  "  I  wonder  what  we're  all  doing  over  on 
this  side  of  the  river !  Whiskey  Centre  is  a  good  enough 
country  for  me  ;  I'm  going  back  to  look  arter  my  casks,  now 
I've  breakfasted.     Come,  Doll ;  let's  load  up,  and  be  off." 

"You  are  not  yourself  yet,  Gershom,"  returned  the  sorrowful 
wife,  "or  you  would  not  talk  in  this  way.  You  had  better 
listen  to  the  advice  of  Bourdon,  who  has  done  so  much  for  us 
already,  and  who  will  tell  you  the  way  to  keep  out  of  Injin 
clutches.  We  owe  our  lives  to  Bourdon,  Gershom,  and  you 
should  thank  him  for  it." 

Whiskey  Centre  muttered  a  few  half  intelligible  words  of 
thanks,  and  relapsed  into  his  state  of  drowsy  indifference.  The 
bee-hunter  saw,  however,  that  the  effects  of  the  brandy  were 
leaving  him,  and  he  managed  to  get  him  on  one  side,  where  he 
persuaded  the  fellow  to  strip  and  go  into  the  water.  The  bath 
did  wonders  for  the  poor  creature,  who  soon  got  to  be  so  far 
himself  again,  as  to  be  of  use,  instead  of  being  an  incumbrance. 
When  sober,  and  more  especially  when  sober  for  several  con- 


162  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

sccutive  clays,  Gersliom  was  a  man  of  sufficient  energy,  possess- 
ing originally  great  personal  strength  and  activity,  which  had 
been  essentially  lessened,  however,  by  his  excesses  in  liquor.  It 
has  already  been  stated  what  a  different  being  he  became,  in  a 
moral  point  of  view,  after  having  been  sober  for  any  length  of  time. 

On  his  return  from  the  bathing,  le  Bourdon  again  joined 
the  females.  Margery  had  been  weeping ;  but  she  smiled  in  a 
friendly  way,  on  meeting  his  eye,  and  appeared  less  anxious  for 
his  departure  than  she  had  been  an  hour  before.  As  the  day  ad- 
vanced, and  no  signs  of  the  savages  were  seen,  a  sense  of  greater 
security  began  to  steal  over  the  females,  and  Margery  saw  less 
necessity  for  the  departure  of  their  new  friend.  It  was  true,  he 
was  losing  a  wind ;  but  the  lake  was  rough,  and  after  all  it 
might  be  better  to  wait.  In  short,  now  that  no  immediate 
danger  was  apparent,  Margery  began  to  reason  in  conformity 
with  her  wishes,  as  is  so  apt  to  be  the  case  with  the  young  and 
inexperienced.  The  bee-hunter  perceived  this  change  in  the 
deportment  of  his  fair  friend,  and  was  well  enough  disposed  to 
hope  it  would  admit  of  a  favorable  construction. 

All  this  time,  the  Chippewa  had  taken  little  visible  interest- 
in  the  state  of  the  party  to  which  he  had  now  attached  himself. 
The  previous  evening  had  been  fertile  in  excitement  and  in 
gratification,  and  he  had  since  slept  and  ate  to  his  entire  con- 
tent. He  was  ready  to  meet  events  as  they  might  arise,  and 
began  to  plot  the  means  of  obtaining  more  Pottawattamie 
scalps.  Let  not  the  refined  reader  feel  disgust  at  this  exhibi- 
tion of  the  propensities  of  an  American  savage.  Civilized  life 
has  had,  and  still  has,  very  many  customs,  little  less  excusable 
than  that  of  scalping.  Without  dragging  into  the  account  the 
thousand  and  one  sins  that  disgrace  and  deform  society,  it  will 
be  sufficient  to  look  into  the  single  interest  of  civilized  warfare, 
in  order  to  make  out  our  case.  In  the  first  place,  the  noblest 
strategy  of  the  art  is,  to  put  the  greatest  possible  force  on  the 
least  of  the  enemy,  and  to  slay  the  weaker  party  by  the  mere 
power  of  numbers.  Then,  every  engine  that  ingenuity  can  in- 
vent, is  drawn  into  the  conflict ;  and  rockets,  revolvers,  shells* 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  163 

and  all  other  infernal  devices,  are  resorted  to,  in  order  to  get 
the  better  of  an  enemy  who  is  not  provided  with  such  available 
means  of  destruction.  And  after  the  battle  is  over,  each  side 
commonly  claims  the  victory ;  sometimes,  because  a  partial  suc- 
cess has  been  obtained  in  a  small  portion  of  the  field ;  some- 
times, because  half  a  dozen  horses  have  run  away  with  a  gun, 
carrying  it  into  the  hostile  ranks  ;  and,  again,  because  a  bit  of 
rag  has  fallen  from  the  hands  of  a  dead  man,  and  been  picked 
up  by  one  of  the  opposing  side.  How  often  has  it  happened 
that  a  belligerent,  well  practised  in  his  art,  has  kept  his  own 
colors  out  of  the  affair,  and  then  boasted  that  they  were  not 
lost !  Now,  an  Indian  practises  no  such  shameless  expedients. 
His  point  of  honor  is  not  a  bit  of  rag,  but  a  bit  of  his  skin. 
He  shaves  his  head  because  the  hair  encumbers  him ;  but  he 
chivalrously  leaves  a  scalp-lock,  by  the  aid  of  which  his  con- 
querors can  the  more  easily  carry  away  the  coveted  trophy. 
The  thought  of  cheating  in  such  a  matter  never  occurs  to  his 
unsophisticated  mind  ;  and  as  for  leaving  his  "  colors"  in  bar- 
racks, while  he  goes  in  the  field  himself,  he  would  disdain  it — 
nay,  cannot  practise  it ;  for  the  obvious  reason  that  his  head 
would  have  to  be  left  with  them. 

Thus  it  was  with  Pigeonswing.  He  had  made  his  toilet  for 
the  war-path,  and  was  fierce  in  his  paint,  but  honest  and  fair- 
dealing  in  other  particulars.  If  he  could  terrify  his  enemies  by 
looking  like  a  skeleton,  or  a  demon,  it  was  well;  his  enemy 
would  terrify  him,  if  possible,  by  similar  means.  But  neither 
would  dream,  or  did  dream,  of  curtailing,  by  a  single  hair,  that 
which  might  be  termed  the  flag-staff  of  his  scalp.  If  the  ene- 
my could  seize  it,  he  was  welcome  to  the  prize  ;  but  if  he  could 
seize  that  of  the  enemy,  no  scruples  on  the  score  of  refinement, 
or  delicacy,  would  be  apt  to  interfere  with  his  movements.  It 
was  in  this  spirit,  then,  that  Pigeonswing  came  to  the  canoe, 
where  le  Bourdon  was  holding  a  little  private  discourse  with 
Margery,  and  gave  utterance  to  what  was  passing  in  his  mind. 

"Good  time,  now,  get  more  scalps,  Bourdon,"  said  the  Chip- 
pewa, in  his  clipping,  sententious  English. 


164:  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"It  is  a  good  time,  too,  to  keep  our  own,  Chippewa,"  was 
the  answer.  "Your  scalp-lock  is  too  long,  to  be  put  before 
Pottawattamie  eyes  without  good  looking  after  it." 

"  Nebber  mind  him — if  go,  go  ;  if  stay,  stay.  Always  good 
for  warrior  to  bring  home  scalp." 

"Yes;  I  know  your  customs  in  this  respect,  Pigeonswing, 
but  ours  are  different.  We  are  satisfied  if  we  can  keep  out  of 
harm's  way,  when  we  have  our  squaws  and  pappooses  with  us." 

"  No  pappooses  here,"  returned  the  Indian,  looking  around 
him — "  dat  your  squaw,  eh  ?" 

The  reader  can  readily  imagine  that  this  abrupt  question 
brought  blushes  into  the  cheeks  of  pretty  Margery,  making  her 
appear  ten  times  more  handsome  than  before ;  while  even  le 
Bourdon  did  not  take  the  interrogatory  wholly  undisturbed. 
Still,  the  latter  answered  manfully,  as  became  his  sex. 

"  I  am  not  so  fortunate  as  to  have  a  squaw,  and  least  of  all  to 
have  this,11  said  le  Bourdon. 

"Why  no  hab  her — she  good  squaw,"  returned  the  literal- 
minded  Indian — "  han'some 'nough  for  chief.  You  ask;  she 
hab — know  squaw  well — always  like  warrior  to  ask  him  fuss ; 
den  say,  yes." 

"Ay,  that  may  do  with  your  redskin  squaws,"  le  Bourdon 
hastily  replied  ;  for  he  saw  that  Margery  was  not  only  distress- 
ed, but  a  little  displeased — •"  but  not  with  the  young  women  of 
the  pale-faces.  I  never  saw  Margery  before  last  evening  ;  and 
it  takes  time  for  a  pale-face  girl  to  know  a  youth." 

"Just  so  wid  redskin — sometime  don't  know,  till  too  late  ! 
See  plenty  dat,  in  wigwam." 

"  Then  it  is  very  much  in  the  wigwams  as  it  is  in  the  houses. 
I  have  heard  this  before." 

"Why  not  same? — skin  make  no  difference — pale-face  spile 
squaw,  too — make  too  much  of  her." 

"That  can  never  be!"  exclaimed  le  Bourdon,  earnestly. 
"  When  a  pretty,  modest,  warm-hearted  young  woman  ac- 
cepts a  youth  for  a  husband,  he  can  never  make  enough  of 
her !" 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  165 

On  hearing  sentiments  so  agreeable  to  a  woman's  ears,  Mar- 
gery looked  down,  but  she  looked  pleased.  Pigeonswing 
viewed  the  matter  very  differently ;  and  being  somewhat  of  a 
partisan  in  matters  relating  to  domestic  economy,  he  had  no 
thought  of  leaving  a  point  of  so  much  importance  in  so  bad  a 
way.  Accordingly,  it  is  not  surprising  that,  in  pursuing  the 
subject,  he  expressed  opinions  in  several  essentials  diametrically 
the  reverse  of  those  of  the  bee-hunter. 

"  Easy  'nough  spile  squaw,"  rejoined  the  Chippewa.  "What 
she  good  for,  don't  make  her  work  ?  Can't  go  on  the  war-path 
— -can't  take  scalp — can't  shoot  deer- — can't  hunt — can't  kill  war- 
rior— so  muss  work.     Dat  what  squaw  good  for." 

"  That  may  do  among  red  men,  but  we  pale-faces  find  squaws 
good  for  something  else — we  love  them  and  take  care  of  them 
— keep  them  from  the  cold  in  winter,  and  from  the  heat  in 
summer ;  and  try  to  make  them  as  comfortable  and  happy  as 
we  can." 

"  Dat  good  talk  for  young  squaw's  ears,"  returned  the  Chip- 
pewa, a  little  contemptuously  as  to  manner ;  though  his  real 
respect  for  the  bee-hunter,  of  whose  prowess  he  had  so  lately 
been  a  witness,  kept  him  a  little  within  bounds — '"but  it  bess 
not  take  nobody  in.  What  Injin  say  to  squaw,  he  do — what 
pale-face  say,  he  no  do." 

"Is  that  true,  Bourdon?"  demanded  Margery,  laughing  at 
the  Indian's  earnestness. 

"I  shall  be  honest,  and  own  that  there  may  be  some  truth 
in  it — for  the  Injin  promises  nothing,  or  next  to  nothing,  and 
it  is  easy  to  square  accounts,  in  such  cases.  That  white  men 
undertake  more  than  they  always  perform,  is  quite  likely  to  be 
the  fact.  The  Injin  gets  his  advantage  in  this  matter,  by 
not  even  thinking  of  treating  his  wife  as  a  woman  should  be 
treated." 

"  How  should  treat  woman?"  put  in  Pigeonswing  with 
warmth.  *  When  warrior  eat  venison,  gib  her  rest,  eh  ?  Dal 
no  good — what  you  call  good,  den  ?  If  good  hunter  husband, 
she  get  'nough — if  an't  good  hunter,   she  don't  get  'nough. 


166  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Just  so  wid  Injin — sometime  hungry,  sometime  full.  Dat  way 
to  live  !" 

"  Aye,  that  may  be  your  red  man's  ways,  but  it  is  not  the 
manner  in  which  we  wish  to  treat  our  wives.  Ask  pretty  Mar- 
gery, here,  if  she  would  be  satisfied  to  wait  until  her  husband 
had  eaten  his  dinner,  and  then  come  in  for  the  scraps.  No — 
no — Pigeonswing  ;  we  feed  our  women  and  children  first,  and 
come  in  last,  ourselves." 

"  Dat  good  for  pappoose — he  little;  want  venison — squaw 
tough  ;  use  to  wait.     Do  her  good." 

Margery  now  laughed  outright,  at  these  specimens  of  Indian 
gallantry,  which  only  too  well  embody  the  code  of  the  red 
man's  habits.  Doubtless  the  heart  has  its  influence  among 
even  the  most  savage  people,  for  nature  has  not  put  into  our 
breasts  feelings  and  passions  to  be  discarded  by  one's  own  ex- 
pedients, or  wants.  But  no  advocate  of  the  American  Indian 
has  ever  yet  been  able  to  maintain  that  woman  fills  her  proper 
place  in  his  estimate  of  claims.  As  for  Margery,  though  so 
long  subject  to  the  whims,  passions,  and  waywardness  of  a 
drunkard,  she  had  reaped  many  of  the  advantages  of  having 
been  born  in  that  woman's  paradise,  New  England.  We  are 
no  great  admirers  of  the  legacy  left  by  the  Puritans  to  his 
descendants,  taken  as  an  inheritance  in  morals,  manners,  and 
customs,  and  as  a  whole ;  though  there  are  parts,  in  the  way 
of  codicils,  that  there  is  no  portion  of  the  Christian  world 
which  might  not  desire  to  emulate.  In  particular,  do  we  al- 
lude to  the  estimate  put  upon,  and  the  treatment  received  by 
their  women.  Our  allusion  is  not  to  the  refinements  and  grace- 
fulness of  polished  intercourse  ;  for  of  them,  the  Blarney  Rock 
of  Plymouth  has  transmitted  but  a  meagre  account  in  the  in- 
ventory, and  perhaps  the  less  that  is  said  about  this  portion  of 
the  family  property  the  better  ;  but,  dropping  a  few  degrees  in 
the  social  scale,  and  coming  down  to  the  level  where  we  are 
accustomed  to  regard  people  merely  as  men  and  women,  we 
greatly  question  if  any  other  portion  of  the  world  can  furnish  a 
parallel  to  the  manly,  considerate,  rational  and  wisely  discrimi- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  167 

nating  care,  that  the  New  England  husband,  as  the  rule,  be- 
stows on  his  wife ;  the  father  on  his  daughter  ;  or  the  brother 
on  his  sister.  Gershom  was  a  living,  and,  all  things  considered, 
a  remarkable  instance  of  these  creditable  traits.  "When  sober, 
he  was  uniformly  kind  to  Dorothy ;  and  for  Margery  he  would 
at  any  time  risk  his  life.  The  latter,  indeed,  had  more  power 
over  him  than  his  own  wife  possessed,  and  it  was  her  will  and 
her  remonstrances  that  most  frequently  led  him  back  from  the 
verge  of  that  precipice  over  which  he  was  so  often  disposed  to 
cast  himself.  By  some  secret  link  she  bound  him  closest  to 
the  family  dwelling,  and  served  most  to  recall  the  days  of  youth 
and  comparative  innocence,  when  they  dwelt  together  beneath 
the  paternal  roof,  and  were  equally  the  objects  of  the  affection 
and  solicitude  of  the  same  kind  mother.  His  attachment  to 
Dorothy  was  sincere,  and,  for  one  so  often  brutalized  by  drink, 
steady  ;  but  Dorothy  could  not  carry  him  as  far  back,  in  recol- 
lections, as  the  one  only  sister  who  had  passed  the  morning  of 
life  with  him,  in  the  same  homely  but  comfortable  abode. 

We  have  no  disposition  to  exaggerate  the  character  of  those 
whom  it  is  the  fashion  to  term  the  American  yeomen,  though 
why  such  an  appellation  should  be  applied  to  any  in  a  state  of 
society  to  which  legal  distinctions  are  unknown,  is  what  we 
could  never  understand.  There  are  no  more  of  esquires  and 
yeomen  in  this  country  than  there  arc  of  knights  and  nobles, 
though  the  quiet  manner  in  which  the  transition  from  the  old 
to  the  new  state  of  things  has  been  made,  has  not  rendered  the 
public  mind  very  sensible  to  the  changes.  But,  recurring  to 
the  class,  which  is  a  positive  thing  and  consequently  ought  to 
have  a  name  of  some  sort  or  other,  we  do  not  belong  to  those 
that  can  sound  its  praises  without  some  large  reservations  on 
the  score  of  both  principles  and  manners.  Least  of  all,  are  we 
disposed  to  set  up  these  yeomen  as  a  privileged  class,  like  cer- 
tain of  trie  titular  statesmen  of  the  country,  and  fall  down  and 
worship  a  calf — not  a  golden  one  by  the  way — of  our  own 
setting  up.  We  can  sec  citizens  in  these  yeomen,  but  not 
princes,  who  are  to  be  especially  favored  by  laws  made  to  take 


168  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

from  others  to  bestow  on  them.  But  making  allowances  for 
human  infirmities,  the  American  freeholder  belongs  to  a  class 
that  may  justly  hold  up  its  head  among  the  tillers  of  the  earth. 
He  improves  daily,  under  the  influence  of  beneficent  laws,  and 
if  he  don't  get  spoiled,  of  which  there  is  some  danger,  in  the 
eagerness  of  factions  to  secure  his  favor,  and  through  that  favor 
his  vote — if  he  escape  this  danger,  he  will  ere  long  make  a  rea- 
sonably near  approach  to  that  being,  which  the  tongue  of  the 
flatterer  would  long  since  have  persuaded  him  he  had  already 
more  than  got  to  be. 

To  one  accustomed  to  be  treated  kindly,  as  was  the  case  with 
Margery,  the  Chippewa's  theory  for  the  management  of  squaws 
contained  much  to  excite  her  mirth,  as  well  as  her  resentment, 
as  she  now  made  apparent  by  her  remarks. 

uYou  do  not  deserve  to  have  a  wife,  Pigeonswing,"  she 
cried,  half-laughing,  yet  evidently  alive  to  the  feelings  of  her 
sex — H  can  have  no  gratitude  for  a  wife's  tenderness  and 
care.  I  wonder  that  a  Chippewa  girl  can  be  found  to  have 
you?" 

u  Don't  want  him,"  coolly  returned  the  Indian,  making  his 
preparations  to  light  his  pipe — "  got  Winnebago e  squaw,  al- 
ready ;  good  'nough  for  me.  Shoot  her  t'other  husband  and 
take  his  scalp — den  she  come  into  my  wigwam." 

"  The  wretch  !"  exclaimed  Margery." 

Bat  this  was  a  word  the  savage  did  not  understand,  and  he 
continued  to  puff  at  the  newly  lighted  tobacco,  with  all  of  a 
smoker's  zeal.  When  the  fire  was  secured,  he  found  time  to 
continue  the  subject. 

"  Yes,  dat  good  war-path — got  rifle  ;  got  wife  ;  got  ^00  scalp! 
Don't  do  so  well,  ebbery  day." 

"And  that  woman  hoes  your  corn,  and  cooks  your  reni- 
son  ?"  demanded  the  bee-hunter. 

u  Sartain — capital  good  to  hoe — no  good  to  cook — make? 
deer  meat  too  dry.  Want  to  be  made  to  mind  business.  Bye'm 
by  teach  him.  No  Tarn  all  at  once,  like  pale-face  pappoose  in 
school." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS,  109 

"  Pigeonswing,  have  you  never  observed  the  manner  in  which 
the  white  man  treats  his  squaw?" 

"  Sartain — see  him  make  much  of  her — put  her  in  warm  cor- 
ner— wrap  blanket  round  her — give  her  venison  'fore  he  eat 
himself — see  all  dat,  often — what  den?  Dat  don't  make  it 
right." 

"  I  give  you  up,  Chippewa,  and  agree  with  Margery  in  think- 
ing you  ought  not  to  have  a  squaw,  at  all." 

"T'ink  alike,  den — why  no  get  marry?"  asked  the  Indian, 
without  circumlocution. 

Margery's  face  became  red  as  fire ;  then  her  cheeks  settled 
into  the  color  of  roses,  and  she  looked  down,  embarrassed.  The 
bee-hunter's  admiration  was  very  apparent  to  the  Indian,  though 
the  girl  did  not  dare  to  raise  her  eyes  from  the  ground,  and  so 
did  not  take  heed  of  it.  But  this  gossipping  was  suddenly 
brought  to  an  end  by  a  most  unexpected  cause  of  interruption ; 
the  manner  and  form  of  which  it  shall  be  our  office  to  relate, 
in  the  succeeding  chapter. 
8 


1  ?0         the  oak  oris  in  08. 


CHAPTER  XL 

"So  should  it  be — for  no  heart  beats 
"Within  his  cold  and  silent  breast ; 
To  him  no  gentle  voice  repeats 
The  soothing  words  that  make  us  blest." 

Peabodt. 

The  interruption  came  from  Dorothy,  who,  on  ascending  the 
little  height,  had  discovered  a  canoe  coming  into  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  and  who  was  running,  breathless  with  haste,  to  an- 
nounce the  circumstance  to  the  bee-hunter.  The  latter  im- 
mediately repaired  to  the  eminence,  and  saw  for  himself  the 
object  that  so  justly  had  alarmed  the  woman. 

The  canoe  was  coming  in  from  the  lake,  after  running  before 
the  wind,  which  now  began  to  abate  a  little  in  its  strength,  and 
it  evidently  had  been  endeavoring  to  proceed  to  the  northward. 
The  reason  for  its  entering  the  river,  was  probably  connected 
with  the  cookery  or  food  of  the  party,  since  the  lake  was  each 
minute  getting  to  be  safer,  and  more  navigable  for  so  light  a 
craft.  To  le  Bourdon's  great  apprehension,  he  saw  the  savages 
on  the  north  shore  making  signals  to  this  strange  canoe,  by 
means  of  smoke,  and  he  foresaw  the  probability  of  his  enemies 
obtaining  the  means  of  crossing  the  stream,  should  the  stran- 
gers proceed  in  the  desired  direction.  To  counteract  this 
design,  he  ran  down  to  a  spot  on  the  beach  where  there  was  no 
rice-plant,  and  showing  himself  to  the  strangers,  invited  them 
to  land  on  the  south  side,  which  was  much  the  nearest,  and  iu 
other  visible  respects  quite  as  convenient  as  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  river.  One  of  the  strangers  soon  made  a  gesture  with  an 
arm,  implying  assent,  and  the  bows  of  this  strange  canoe  were 
immediately  turned  toward  the  spot  where  the  bee-hunter 
stood. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  l^I 

As  the  canoe  drew  near,  the  whole  party,  including  Pigeons- 
wing,  came  to  the  margin  of  the  water  to  receive  the  stran- 
gers. Of  the  last,  there  were  three ;  one  paddling  at  each  end 
of  the  light  hark,  and  a  third  seated  in  its  centre,  doing  nothing. 
As  the  bee-hunter  had  his  glass,  with  which  he  examined  these 
visitors,  he  was  soon  questioned  by  his  companions  concerning 
their  character  and  apparent  purposes. 

"Who  are  they,  Bourdon?"  demanded  the  impatient  Mar- 
gery— " and  why  do  they  come  here?" 

"  The  last  is  a  question  they  must  answer  for  themselves,  but 
the  person  paddling  in  the  bows  of  the  canoe  seems  to  be  a 
white  man,  and  a  soldier — or  a  half-soldier,  if  one  may  judge 
from  his  dress.  The  man  in  the  middle  of  the  canoe  is  white, 
also.  This  last  fellow  seems  to  be  a  parson — yes,  he  is  a  clergy- 
man, though  pretty  well  used  up  in  the  wilderness,  as  to  dress. 
The  third  man  is  a  redskin,  beyond  all  doubt." 

"A  clergyman!"  repeated  Margery,  in  surprise.  "What 
should  a  clergyman  be  doing  here  |" 

"  There  are  missionaries  scattered  about  among  the  savages, 
I  suppose  you  know,  and  this  is  probably  one  of  them.  A  body 
can  tell  one  of  these  parsons  by  his  outside,  as  far  as  he  can  see 
him.  The  poor  man  has  heard  of  the  war,  most  likely,  and  is 
trying  to  get  back  into  the  settlements,  while  his  scalp  is  safe 
on  his  head." 

"Don't  hurt  him"  put  in  the  Chippewa,  pointedly.  "  Know 
mean  well — talk  about  Great  Spirit — Injin  don't  scalp  sich 
medicine-men — if  don't  mind  what  he  say,  no  good  to  take  his 
scalp." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  this,  Pigeonswing,  for  I  had  begun  to  think 
no  man's  scalp  was  safe  under  your  fingers.  But  what  can  the 
so'ger  be  doing  down  this-away  ?  A  body  would  think  there 
was  business  enough  for  all  the  so'gers  up  at  the  garrison,  at  the 
head  of  the  lake.  By  the  way,  Pigeonswing,  what  has  become 
of  your  letter  to  the  captain  at  Fort  Dearborn,  to  let  him  know 
of  the  war !" 

"Chaw  him  up,  like  so  much  'baccy,"  answered  the  Chip- 


172  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

pevva — u  yes,  chaw  him  up,  lest  Pottawattamie  get  hold  on  him, 
and  ask  one  of  King  George's  men  to  read  him.  No  good  to 
hab  letter  in  sich  times.'' 

"The  general  who  employed  you  to  carry  that  letter,  will 
scarce  thank  you  for  your  care." 

"  Yes  he  do — t'ank  all  same — pay  all  same — letter  no  use 
now." 

"  How  can  you  know  that  ?  The  letter  might  be  the  means 
of  preventing  the  garrison  from  falling  into  the  enemy's  hands." 

"Got  dere,  already.  Garrison  all  kill,  scalp,  or  pris'ner. 
Pottawattamie  talk  tell  me  clat" 

"Is  this  possible!  Mackinaw  and  Chicago  both  gone,  al- 
ready !  John  Bull  must  have  been  at  work  among  the  savages 
a  long  time,  to  get  them  into  this  state  of  readiness !" 

"  Sartain — work  long  as  can  'member.  Alio  ay  somebody 
talkin'  for  great  Montreal  Fadder  among  red  men." 

"  It  must  be  as  you  say,  Chippewa — but,  here  are  our  visi- 
tors— let  us  see  what  we  can  make  of  them." 

By  this  time,  the  canoe  was  so  near  as  to  render  it  easy  to 
distinguish  countenances  and  dress,  without  the  aid  of  the  glass 
— so  near,  indeed,  that  a  swift-moving  boat,  like  the  canoe, 
might  be  expected  soon  to  reach  the  shore.  The  truth  of  the 
observation  of  the  bee-hunter  was  confirmed,  as  the  strangers 
approached.  The  individual  in  the  bows  of  the  canoe  was 
clearly  a  soldier,  in  a  fatigue-dress,  and  the  musket  between  his 
legs  was  one  of  those  pieces  that  government  furnishes  to  the 
troops  of  the  line.  The  man  in  the  middle  of  the  boat  could 
no  more  be  mistaken  than  he  in  its  bows.  Each  might  be  said 
to  be  in  uniform ; — the  well-worn,  nay,  almost  threadbare  black 
coat  of  the  "  minister,"  as  much  denoting  him  to  be  a  man  of 
peace,  as  the  fatigue-jacket  and  cap  on  the  person  of  his  hard- 
featured  and  weather-beaten  companion  indicated  that  the  last 
was  a  man  of  war.  As  for  the  red  man,  Pigeonswing  declared 
that  he  could  not  yet  tell  his  tribe,  though  there  was  that  about 
his  air,  attire  and  carriage,  that  proclaimed  him  a  chief — and, 
as  the  Chippewa  fancied,  a  chief  of  note.     In  another  minute, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  173 

the  bo^is  of  the  light  craft  grated  gently  on  the  shingle  of  the 
beach. 

"  Sago,  sago,"  said  the  soldier,  rising  to  step  ashore — "sago 
all,  friends,  and  I  hope  we  come  to  a  welcome  camp." 

"You  are  welcome,"  returned  the  bee-hunter.  "Welcome 
as  strangers  met  in  the  wilderness,  but  more  welcome,  as  I  see 
by  your  dress  that  you  are  a  veteran  of  one  of  Uncle  Sam's 
regiments." 

"  Quite  true,  Mr.  Bee-hunter  ;  for  such  I  see  is  your  callin', 
by  the  honey  vessel  and  glass  you  carry,  and  by  the  other  signs 
about  you.  We  are  travelling  toward  Mackinaw,  and  hope  to 
fare  as  friends,  while  we  stay  in  your  good  company." 

"In  going  to  Mackinaw,  do  you  expect  to  meet  with  an 
American  or  an  English  garrison  ?" 

"  One  of  our  own,  to  be  sure,"  returned  the  soldier,  looking 
up  from  his  work,  like  one  struck  by  the  question. 

"Mackinaw  has  fallen,  and  is  now  an  English  post,  as  well 
as  CSicago." 

"This,  then,  must  alter  our  plans,  Mr.  Amen!"  exclaimed 
the  soldier,  addressing  the  minister.  "If  the  enemy  has 
Mackinaw,  it  will  not  do  for  us  to  trust  ourselves  on  the 
island." 

"  Amen"  was  not  the  real  name  of  the  missionary ;  but  it 
was  a  sobriquet  bestowed  by  the  soldiers,  on  account  of  the 
unction  with  which  this  particular  word  was  ordinarily  pro- 
nounced, and  quite  likely,  too,  because  it  was  the  word  of  all 
others  most  pleasant  to  their  ears,  after  a  sermon,  or  a  prayer. 
It  had,  by  long  use,  got  to  be  so  familiar,  that  the  men  did  not 
scruple  to  use  it  to  the  good  man's  face.  This  missionary  was 
a  Methodist ;  a  sect  that  possessed,  in  that  day,  very  few  clergy- 
men of  education,  most  of  its  divines  coming  of  a  class  in  life 
that  did  not  predispose  them  to  take  offence  at  light  invasions 
on  their  dignity,  and  whose  zeal  and  habitual  self-denial  had 
schooled  them  into  a  submission  to  far  more  positive  personal 
privations,  than  any  connected  with  the  mere  tongue.  That 
there  are   "  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing"  among  the  Method- 


174  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

ists,  as  well  as  among  the  other  religious  sects  of  the  country, 
our  daily  experience  shows  ;  but  the  mind  must  be  sadly  in- 
clined to  believe  evil  of  others,  which  does  not  see  in  the  humble 
and  untiring  efforts  of  this  particular  sect  of  Christians,  more 
than  mere  fanaticism  or  hypocrisy  can  produce. 

"  You  are  right,  corporal,"  returned  the  missionary  ;  "  since 
this  is  the  case,  I  see  no  better  course  for  us  to  pursue,  than  to 
put  ourselves  altogether  in  the  hands  of  Onoah.  He  has  coun- 
selled us  well,  hitherto,  and  will  do  better  by  us  than  any  other 
guide  to  be  found,  out  in  this  wilderness." 

Le  Bourdon  could  scarcely  trust  his  sense  of  hearing !  Onoah 
was  the  Indian  appellation  of  the  terrible  and  most  dreaded 
savage,  who,  in  English,  went  by  the  name  of  Scalping  Peter, 
or  "  Scalping  Pete,"  among  all  the  white  dwellers  on  that  fron- 
tier, and  at  all  the  garrisons  of  the  Americans,  far  and  near. 
The  Indian  name,  indeed,  was  said  to  mean  "  scalp,"  in  several 
of  the  dialects  of  the  Iroquois.  Perhaps  it  may  be  well^  also, 
to  explain  here,  that  the  term  "  garrison"  did  not  imply,  in  the 
language  of  that  region,  the  troops  only  who  garrisoned  a  post, 
but  it  was  even  oftener  applied  to  the  post  itself  than  to  those 
who  held  it.  Thus  old,  empty,  and  deserted  forts,  those  that 
have  actually  been  abandoned,  and  are  devoted  to  decay,  are 
almost  universally  styled  the  "garrisons,"  even  though  a  soldier 
had  not  put  foot  in  them  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  This  is 
one  of  the  proofs  of  the  convertible  nature  of  our  language,  of 
which  the  country  affords  so  many,  and  which  has  changed  the 
smaller-sized  rivers  into  "creeks,"  "lakes"  into  "ponds," 
"  squares"  into  "parks,"  public  promenades  on  the  water  into 
"batteries ;"  to  all  of  which  innovations,  bad  as  they  may  be, 
and  useless  and  uncalled  for,  and  wanton  as  they  are,  we  are 
much  more  willing  to  submit,  than  to  the  new-fangled  and  lub- 
berly abomination  of  saying  "  on  a  steamboat,"  or  "  on  a  ship." 

"While  le  Bourdon  was  so  much  astounded  at  hearing  the 
terrible  name  of  Onoah,  which  was  familiar  enough  to  him, 
neither  of  his  white  companions  betrayed  any  emotion.  Had 
the  Indian  been  termed  "  Scalping  Peter,"  it  is  probable  that 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  175 

both  Dorothy  and  Margery  would  have  screamed,  if  not  actually 
fled  ;  but  they  knew  nothing  of  the  appellation  that  was  given 
to  this  mysterious  chief,  in  the  language  of  the  red  men.  To 
this  circumstance,  therefore,  was  it  owing  that  the  utterance  of 
his  name  did  not  produce  a  general  commotion.  The  bee- 
hunter  observed,  nevertheless,  a  great  change  in  the  demeanor 
of  the  Chippewa,  the  instant  the  missionary  had  uttered  the 
ominous  word,  though  he  did  not  seem  to  be  alarmed.  On 
the  contrary,  Boden  fancied  that  his  friend  Pigeonswing  was 
pleased,  rather  than  terrified,  at  ascertaining  the  character  of 
their  visitor,  though  he  no  longer  put  himself  forward,  as  had 
been  the  case  previously  ;  and  from  that  moment  the  young- 
warrior  appeared  to  carry  himself  in  a  more  subdued  and  less 
confident  manner  than  was  his  wont.  This  unexpected  de- 
meanor on  the  part  of  his  friend,  somewhat  confounded  le 
Bourdon,  though  it  in  a  degree  relieved  his  apprehensions  of 
any  immediate  danger.  All  this  time,  the  conversation  be- 
tween the  missionary  and  the  corporal  went  on  in  as  quiet  and 
composed  a  manner,  as  if  each  saw  no  ground  for  any  other  un- 
easiness than  that  connected  with  the  fall  of  Mackinaw. 

"Yes,  sir,"  returned  the  soldier,  "Onoah  is  a  good  guide, 
and  a  great  hand  at  a  council-fire ;  but  these  is  war-times,  and 
we  must  stand  to  our  arms,  each  accordin'  to  his  edication  and 
temper — you,  sir,  with  preachin'  and  prayin',  and  I  with  gun 
and  baggonet." 

"Ah!  corporal,  the  preaching  and  praying  would  be  of 
quite  as  much  account  with  you  men  of  war,  as  your  arms  and 
ammunition,  if  you  could  only  be  made  to  think  so.  Look  at 
Fort  Dearborn !  It  was  defended  by  human  means,  having  its 
armed  band,  and  its  guns  and  swords,  and  captains  and  corpo- 
rals ;  yet  you  have  seen  their  pride  lowered,  their  means  of 
defence  destroyed,  and  a  large  part  of  your  comrades  massacred. 
All  this  has  been  done  to  armed  men,  while  the  Lord  has 
orought  me,  an  unarmed  and  humble  teacher  of  his  word,  safely 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  Philistines,  and  placed  me  here  in  safe- 
ty, on  the  shores  of  the  Kalamazoo." 


176  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"  For  that  matter,  Mr.  Amen,  the  Lord  has  done  the  same 
by  me,  with  a  musket  on  my  shoulder  and  a  baggonet  by  my 
side,"  returned  the  literal  corporal.  "Preachin'  may  be  good 
on  some  marches ;  but  arms  and  ammunition  answers  well 
enough  on  others.  Hearken  to  the  Hebrew,  who  knows  all  the 
ways  of  the-  wilderness,  and  see  if  he  don't  give  you  the  same 
opinion." 

"  The  Hebrew  is  one  of  the  discarded  of  the  Lord,  as  he  is 
one  chosen  of  the  Lord  !"  returned  the  missionary.  "  I  agree 
with  you,  however,  that  he  is  as  safe  an  adviser,  for  a  human 
adviser,  as  can  be  easily  found ;  therefore  will  I  consult  him. 
Child  of  the  seed  of  Abraham,"  he  added,  turning  to  Onoah, 
"  thou  hast  heard  the  tidings  from  Mackinaw ;  we  cannot  think, 
any  longer,  of  pursuing  our  journey  in  that  direction ;  whither, 
then,  wouldst  thou  advise  that  we  shall  direct  our  steps  ?  I  ask 
this  question  of  thee  first,  as  an  experienced  and  sagacious 
dweller  in  the  wilderness :  at  a  more  fitting  time,  I  intend  to 
turn  to  the  Lord,  and  seek  divine  aid  for  the  direction  of  our 
footsteps. " 

"  Aye,"  observed  the  corporal,  who  entertained  a  good  deal 
of  respect  for  the  zealous,  but  slightly  fanatical  missionary, 
though  he  believed  an  Indian  was  always  safe  to  consult  in 
matters  of  this  sort,  "  try  both — if  one  staff  should  fail,  it  may 
be  well  to  have  another  to  lean  on.  A  good  soldier  always 
keeps  a  part  of  his  troops  for  a  reserve.  I  remember  when 
Mad  Anthony  gave  the  command  to  charge  the  inemy,  at  the 
Mawmee,  we  was  all  for  going  forward,  like  so  many  furious 
devils,  but  the  old  man  said,  '  No ;  keep  them  men  in  resarve,' 
he  said,  *  for  no  one  knows  when  his  flank  may  be  turned,  or 
he  may  catch  a  volley  from  his  rear.'  "Well,  what  does  Onoah 
tell  you,  Mr.  Amen?" 

By  this  time  the  strange  Indian  had  landed,  thus  giving  le 
Bourdon  an  opportunity  of  examining  his  person  and  attire 
more  closely  than  he  had  hitherto  done.  This  renowned 
savage — renowned,  as  fame  is  regarded  on  a  frontier,  where  the 
posts  of  the  whites  were  then  a  hundred  leagues  asunder — was 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  ill 

in  the  summer- dress  of  the  woods,  and  any  one  acquainted  with 
the  customs  of  the  North  American  Indian  could  at  once  per- 
ceive that  he  bore  on  his  person  the  symbols  of  authority  and 
rank.  The  insignia  of  the  golden  fleece,  or  of  the  Saint  Esprit, 
arc  not  more  infallible  evidences  of  high  personal  degree  among 
the  nobles  of  Europe,  than  were  the  emblems  borne  by  this 
savage,  of  his  consideration  among  the  people  of  his  color  and 
origin,  along  the  shores  of  those  wild  and  inland  seas  of  fresh 
water,  which  then  were  seldom  ploughed  by  a  keel;  which 
have  since  got  to  be  familiar  with  the  steamers,  the  propeller, 
brig,  ship,  and  schooner ;  and  which,  ere  the  close  of  the  pres- 
ent century,  will,  in  all  probability,  be  whitened,  like  the  Medi- 
terranean, with  the  canvas  of  the  thousand  craft  that  will  be 
required  for  the  navigation  of  their  borders.*  Around  his 
neck  Onoah  wore  what  might  be  termed  a  gorget  of  tubes, 
made  of  the  red  pipe-stone  of  the  west,  and  which  were  carved 
and  wrought  with  care,  if  not  with  much  skill.  Above  this  he 
had  a  rude  representation  of  a  rattlesnake  drawn  on  his  breast 
with  yellow  paint.  This  was  understood  to  be  the  "tolem," 
or  "  arms,"  of  his  tribe;  though  what  that  tribe  was,  where  it 
dwelt,  or  whence  it  came,  it  was  commonly  believed  among 
both  the  redskins  and  pale-faces  of  the  region,  no  one  but  him- 
self knew.  On  a  small  silver  medal  that  was  suspended  above 
the  gorget  was  stamped  the  image  of  that  cross  on  which  the 
Son  of  God,  in  his  human  character,  suffered  death  for  the  re 
demption  of  men.  It  would  seem  that  this  savage,  keen,  sharp- 
witted,  and  observant  as  he  was,  though  not  a  believer  in  the 
doctrines  inculcated  by  the  Bible,  had  none  of  that  holy  horror 
of  this  sacred  emblem  that  so  singularly  besets  the  imaginations 
of  many  who  profess  to  place  all  their  hopes  of  salvation  on  the 
sacrifice  that  was  made  on  its  great  original.  He  wore  an  an- 
cient medal  of  the  Jesuits,  one  that  had  passed  through  gener- 

*  In  crossing  lake  Erie,  within  the  last  few  months,  the  writer,  in  a  run  of  twenty- 
four  hours,  counted  no  less  than  sixty-three  vessels,  met,  overtaken,  and  seen.  Ho 
remembers  that  water,  in  the  first  ten  years  of  the  present  century,  when  a  single  sail 
was  an  object  of  interest  and  curiosity.  The  change  must  have  been  witnessed  to  be 
appreciated. 


178  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

ations  of  his  family,  as  a  political  rather  than  as  a  religious 
symbol,  though  perfectly  aware  of  the  spirit  in  which  it  had 
been  first  bestowed.  He  probably  saw  that  the  cross  was  re- 
vered by  one  class  of  missionaries,  while  another  scarce  endeav- 
ored to  conceal  their  distaste  for  it,  a  circumstance  that  might 
have  confounded  a  neophyte  of  less  acuteness  than  himself.  * 

Beneath  the  rattlesnake,  or  "tolem"  of  his  tribe,  Onoah  had 
rudely  drawn  an  expanded  hand,  in  that  attitude  which  denotes 
caution,  or  "  beware."  This  might  be  termed  the  motto  of  his 
coat  of  arms  ;  the  "gave  a  qui  la  touche"  or  "  noli  me  tangeie," 
of  his  device. 

The  head  was  shaved,  as  is  usual  with  a  warrior,  carrying 
only  the  chivalrous  scalp-lock,  but  the  chief  was  not  in  his 
paint.  The  outline  of  this  celebrated  savage's  features  was  bold 
and  eagle-like;  a  comparison  that  his  steady,  calm,  piercing 
eye  well  sustained.  The  chin  was  full  and  expanded,  the  lips 
compressed  and  firm,  the  teeth  were  short,  but  even  and  sound, 
his  smile  courteous,  and,  at  times,  winning. 

In  the  way  of  attire,  Onoah  was  simply  dressed,  consulting 
the  season  and  his  journey.  He  had  a  single  eagle's  feather 
attached  to  the  scalp-lock,  and  wore  a  belt  of  wampum  of  more 
than  usual  value,  beneath  which  he  had  thrust  his  knife  and 

*  In  the  times  of  the  crusades,  the  cross  was  adopted  as  an  emblem  of  general  use. 
All  the  castles  and  churches  were  adorned  with  this  touching  memorial  of  the  origin 
of  the  Christian  faith,  in  beautiful  commemoration  of  the  price  paid  for  human  sal- 
vation. Apertures  were  made  for  the  windows,  and  a  stone  cross  was  erected  in  each, 
whence  the  French  term  of  "  croisee."  The  same  thing  was  done  for  the  doors,  which, 
by  removing  the  panels,  would  be  found  to  contain  so  many  crosses.  This  last  custom 
became  general,  and  a  cross,  or  crosses,  are  to  be  found  at  this  very  hour  in  nearly 
every  old  panelled  door  in  the  country,  even  to  the  humblest  dwellings  of  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Puritans  and  Quakers.  Ignorance  preserved  the  emblems  at  the  very 
moment  these  pious  and  critical  saints  were  throwing  aside  gowns  and  cassocks, 
church  music  and  kneeling,  along  with  every  thing  else  that,  by  the  perversity  of 
human  ingenuity,  could  be  made  to  appear  connected,  in  the  remotest  degree,  with  the 
simplicity  of  human  faith.  There  is  something  amusing  in  finding  these  quiet  little 
material  emblems  of  the  crucifixion  intrenching  themselves  in  the  very  bedrooms 
and  "  cupboards'"  (to  use  the  vernacular)  of  "  the  saints,"  par  excellence,  at  the  precise 
period  when  not  only  their  voices,  but  their  hands  were  raised  to  dislodge  them  from 
that  most  appropriate  of  all  positions,  the  summit  of  the  church-spire — that  "  silent 
finger  pointing  to  the  skies11 — in  order  to  put  (still  in  honor  of  the  vernacular)  a 
v  rooster11  in  its  stead  ! 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  1 79 

tomahawk ;  a  light,  figured,  and  fringed  hunting-shirt  of  cotton 
covered  his  body,  while  leggings  of  deer-skin,  with  a  plain 
moccasin  of  similar  material,  rose  to  his  knee.  The  latter, 
with  the  lower  part  of  a  stout  sinewy  thigh,  was  bare.  He  also 
carried  a  horn  and  pouch,  and  a  rifle  of  the  American  rather 
than  of  the  military  fashion — that  is,  one  long,  true,  and  sight- 
ed to  the  deviation  of  a  hair. 

On  landing,  Peter  (for  so  he  was  generally  called  by  the 
whites,  when  in  courtesy  they  omitted  the  prefix  of  "  Scalping") 
courteously  saluted  the  party  assembled  around  the  bow  of  the 
canoe.  This  he  did  with  a  grave  countenance,  like  a  true 
American,  but  in  simple  sincerity,  so  far  as  human  eye  could 
penetrate  his  secret  feelings.  To  each  man  he  offered  his 
hand,  glancing  merely  at  the  two  females  ;  though  it  may  be 
questioned  if  he  ever  before  had  looked  upon  so  perfect  a 
picture  of  female  loveliness  as  Margery  at  that  precise  instant 
presented,  with  her  face  flushed  with  excitement,  her  spirited 
blue  eye  wandering  with  curiosity,  and  her  beautiful  mouth 
slightly  parted  in  admiration. 

"  Sago,  sago!"  said  Peter,  in  his  deep,  guttural  enunciation, 
speaking  reasonably  good  English.  "  Sago,  sago  all,  ole  and 
young,  friend  come  to  see  you,  and  eat  in  your  wigwam — which 
head-chief,  eh?" 

"•We  have  neither  wigwam  nor  chief  here,"  answered  le 
Bourdon,  though  he  almost  shrunk  from  taking  the  hand  of  one 
of  whom  he  had  heard  the  tales  of  which  this  savage  had  been 
the  hero  ;  "we  are  common  people,  and  have  no  one  among  us 
who  holds  the  States'  commission.  I  live  by  taking  honey,  of 
which  you  are  welcome  to  all  you  can  want,  and  this  man  is  a 
helper  of  the  sutlers  at  the  garrisons.  He  was  travelling  south 
to  join  the  troops  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  I  was  going  north 
to  Mackinaw,  on  my  way  in,  toward  the  settlements." 

"  Why  is  my  brother  in  such  haste  ?"  demanded  Peter,  mild- 
ly.     "  Bees  get  tired  of  making  honey  f" 

"The  times  are  troubled,  and  the  red  men  have  dug  up  the 
hatchet ;  a  pale-face  cannot  tell  when  his  wigwam  is  safe." 


180  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"  Where  my  brodcler  wigwam!"  asked  Peter,  looking  warily 
around  him.      "  See  he  an't  here  ;  where  is  he  V 

"  Over  in  the  openings,  far  up  the  Kalamazoo.  We  left  it 
last  week,  and  had  got  to  the  hut  on  the  other  shore,  when  a 
party  of  Pottawattamies  came  in  from  the  lake,  and  drove  us 
over  here  for  safety." 

On  hearing  this,  Peter  turned  slowly  to  the  missionary,  rais- 
ing a  ringer  as  one  makes  a  gesture  to  give  emphasis  to  his 
words. 

"  Tole  you  so,"  said  the  Indian.  "  Know  dere  was  Potta- 
wattamie dere.     Can  tell  'em  great  way  ofY." 

"  We  fear  them,  having  women  in  our  party,"  added  the 
bee-hunter,  "  and  think  they  might  fancy  our  scalps." 

"  Dat  like  enough ;  all  Injin  love  scalp  in  war-time.  You 
Yankee,  dey  Br'ish ;  can't  travel  on  same  path  now,  and  not 
quarrel.     Must  not  let  Pottawattamie  catch  you." 

"  How  are  we  to  help  it,  now  you  have  come  in.  We  had 
all  the  canoes  on  this  side  of  the  river,  and  were  pretty  safe, 
but  should  you  cross  and  place  your  canoe  in  their  hands,  there 
is  nothing  to  prevent  them  from  doing  what  they  please  with 
us.  If  you  will  promise  not  to  cross  the  river  till  we  can  get 
out  wTell  on  the  lake,  we  may  shift  our  ground,  however,  and 
leave  no  trail." 

"  Muss  cross  over — yes,  muss  cross  over,  else  Pottawattamie 
t'ink  it  strange — yes,  muss  cross  over.  Shan't  touch  canoe, 
dough." 

"  How  can  you  help  it,  if  they  be  so  minded  ?  You  are  but 
a  single  man,  and  they  are  twenty  ?" 

On  hearing  this,  Corporal  Flint  pricked  up  his  ears,  and 
stood  if  possible  more  erect  than  ever,  for  he  considered  him- 
self a  part  of  a  man  at  least,  and  one  moreover  who  had  served 
in  all  the  wars  of  the  west,  from  the  great  battle  of  St.  Clair  to 
that  of  Mad  Anthony.  He  was  spared  the  necessity  of  a  reply, 
however,  for  Peter  made  a  significant  gesture  which  as  much  as 
told  him  that  he  would  take  that  office  on  himself. 

4 'No  need  be  afeard,"  said  Peter,  quietly.      "KnowPotta 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  181 

wattaniie — know  all  chief.  Nobody  touch  canoe  of  Onoah 
when  he  say  don't  touch  him." 

"  Yet  they  are  Injins  of  the  British,  and  I  sec  you  here  in 
company  with  a  soldier  of  Uncle  Sam." 

"No  matter  ;  Onoah  go  just  where  he  please.  Sometime  to 
Pottawattamie  ;  sometime  to  Iroquois.  All  Ojebways  know 
Onoah.  All  six  nation  know  him  well.  All  Injin  know  him. 
Even  Cherokee  know  him  now,  and  open  ears  when  he  speak. 
Muss  cross  river,  and  shake  hand  with  Crowsfeather." 

There  was  nothing  boastful,  or  vaunting,  in  Peter's  manner 
while  he  thus  announced  his  immunity  or  power,  but  he  alluded 
to  it  in  a  quiet,  natural  way,  like  one  accustomed  to  being  con- 
sidered a  personage  of  consequence.  Mankind,  in  general, 
make  few  allowances  for  the  influence  of  habit ;  the  sensibilities 
of  the  vainglorious  themselves  being  quite  as  often  wounded 
by  the  most  natural  and  direct  allusions  of  those  who  enjoy  ad- 
vantages superior  to  their  own,  as  by  those  that  are  intended 
to  provoke  comparisons.  In  the  present  instance,  however,  no 
such  feeling  could  exist,  the  Indian  asserting  no  more  than  his 
extended  reputation  would  fully  maintain. 

When  Peter  had  thus  expressed  himself,  the  missionary 
thought  it  meet  to  add  a  few  words  in  explanation.  This  he 
did,  however,  aside,  walking  a  little  apart  with  the  bee-hunter, 
in  order  so  to  do.  As  for  Gershom,  no  one  seemed  to  think 
him  of  sufficient  importance  to  throw  away  any  interest  or  care 
on  him. 

"  You  can  trust  to  Peter,  friend  bee-hunter,"  the  missionary 
observed,  "  for  what  he  promises  he  will  perform.  I  know  him 
well,  and  have  put  myself  altogether  in  his  hands.  -  If  he  says 
that  the  Pottawattamies  are  not  to  have  his  canoe,  the  Potta- 
wattamies  will  not  get  it.     He  is  a  man  to  be  depended  on." 

"  Is  not  this,  then,  Scalping  Peter,  who  bears  so  terrible  a 
name  on  all  this  frontier  fJ  demanded  le  Bourdon. 

"The  same;  but  do  not  disturb  yourself  with  names:  they 
hurt  no  one,  and  will  soon  be  forgotten.  A  descendant  of 
Abraham,  and  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  is  not  placed  in  the 


182  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

wilderness  by  the  hand  of  divine  power  for  no  purpose ;  since 
lie  is  here,  rely  on  it,  it  is  for  good." 

"  A  descendant  of  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob  !  Is  not 
Peter,  then,  a  redskin  and  an  Injin  V 

' '  Certainly ;  though  no  one  knows  his  tribe  but  myself.  I 
know  it,  friend  bee-hunter,  and  shortly  shall  proclaim  it  through- 
out  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  Yes,  it  has  been  given 
to  me  to  make  this  important  discovery,  though  I  sometimes 
think  that  Peter  himself  is  really  as  ignorant  as  all  around  him 
of  the  tribe  to  which  he  properly  belongs." 

"Do  you  wish  to  keep  it  a  secret  from  me,  too?  I  own 
that,  in  my  eyes,  the  tribe  of  a  redskin  goes  a  good  way  in 
making  up  my  opinions  of  the  man.     Is  he  a  Winnebagoe  ?" 

"  No,  my  friend,  the  Winnebagoes  have  no  claims  on  him  at 
all." 

"Nor  a  Pottawattamie,  Ottawa,  or  Ojebway  of  any  sort?" 

"He  is  none  of  these.  Peter  cometh  of  a  nobler  tribe  than 
any  that  beareth  such  names." 

"  Perhaps  he  is  an  Injin  of  the  Six  Nations  !  They  tell  me 
that  many  such  have  found  their  way  hither  since  the  war  of 
the  revolution." 

"  All  that  may  be  true,  but  Peter  cometh  not  of  Pottawatta- 
mie, Ottawa,  nor  Ojebway." 

"  He  can  hardly  be  of  the  Sacs  or  the  Foxes  ;  he  has  not  the 
appearance  of  an  Injin  from  a  region  so  far  west." 

"Neither,  neither,  neither,"  answered  Parson  Amen,  now  so 
full  of  his  secret  as  fairly  to  let  it  overflow.  "  Peter  is  a  son  of 
Israel ;  one  of  the  lost  children  of  the  land  of  Judea,  in  com- 
mon with  many  of  his  red  brethren — mind,  I  do  not  say  all, 
but  with  many  of  his  red  brethren — though  he  may  not  know 
exactly  of  what  tribe  himself.  This  last  point  has  exercised  me 
greatly,  and  days  and  nights  have  I  pondered  over  the  facts. 
Turn  to  Genesis  xlix  and  14th,  and  there  will  you  find  all  the 
authorities  recorded.  '  Zebulon  shall  dwell  at  the  haven  of  the 
sea.'  That  refers  to  some  other  red  brother,  nearer  to  the 
coast,  most  clearly.      *  Issachar  is  a  strong  ass,  crouching  down 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  183 

between  two  burdens;'  '  and  bowed  his  shoulder  to  bear,  and 
became  a  servant  unto  tribute.'  That  refers,  most  manifestly, 
to  the  black  man  of  the  Southern  states,  and  cannot  mean  Peter. 
' Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  by  the  way,  an  adder  in  the  path.5 
There  is  the  red  man  for  you,  drawn  with  the  pencil  of  truth  ! 
'Gad,  a  troop  shall  overcome  him.'  Here,  corporal,  come  this 
way  and  tell  our  new  friend  how  Mad  Anthony  with  his  troopers 
finally  routed  the  redskins.  You  were  there,  and  know  all 
about  it.  No  language  can  be  plainer :  until  the  '  long-knives 
and  leather-stockings'  came  into  the  woods,  the  red  man  had 
his  way.     Against  them,  he  could  not  prevail." 

"Yes,"  returned  Corporal  Flint,  who  delighted  in  talking  of 
the  wars,  "it  was  very  much  as  Parson  Amen  says.  The  savages, 
by  their  nimbleness  and  artifices,  would  first  ambush  us,  and 
then  break  away  from  our  charges,  until  the  gin'ral  bethought 
him  of  bringing  cavalry  into  the  wilderness.  Nobody  ever 
thought  of  such  a  plan,  until  old  Anthony  invented  it.  As  soon 
as  wo  got  the  fire  of  the  savages,  at  the  Mawmee,  we  charged 
with  the  baggonet,  and  put  'em  up ;  and  no  sooner  was  they 
up,  than  away  went  the  horse  into  them,  flourishing  the  *  long 
knife,'  and  pressing  the  heel  of  the  '  leather-stocking'  into  the 
flanks  of  their  beasts.  Mr.  Amen  has  found  a  varse  in  Serip- 
tur's  that  does  come  near  to  the  p'int,  and  almost  foretells  our 
victory,  and  that,  too,  as  plain  as  it  stood  in  dispatches,  arter- 
ward,  from  head-quarters." 

"  'Gad,  a  troop  shall  overcome  him,'  "  put  in  the  missionary, 
triumphantly. 

"That's  it — that's  it;  there  was  just  one  troop  on  'em,  and 
not  a  man  more !  Mad  Anthony  said  a  troop  would  answer, 
arter  we  had  put  the  redskins  up  out  of  their  ambushes,  or  any 
other  bushes ;  and  so  it  did.  I  must  acknowledge  that  I  think 
more  of  the  Scriptur's  than  ever,  since  Parson  Amen  read  to 
me  that  varse." 

"Hearken  unto  this,  friend  bee-hunter,"  added  the  mission- 
ary, who  by  this  time  had  fairly  mounted  his  hobby,  and  fan- 
cied he  saw  a  true  Israelite  in  every  other  Indian  of  the  west, 


184  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

"and  tell  me  if  words  were  ever  more  prophetic — 'Benjamin 
shall  ravin  as  a  wolf;  in  the  morning  he  shall  devour  his  prey, 
and  at  night  he  shall  divide  the  spoil.'  The  art  of  man  could 
not  draw  a  more  faithful  picture  of  these  Indians." 

Boden  was  not  much  skilled  in  sacred  lore,  and  scarce  knew 
what  to  make  of  all  this.  The  idea  that  the  American  Indians 
were  the  descendants  of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel  was  entirely 
new  to  him ;  nor  did  he  know  any  thing  to  boast  of,  touching 
those  tribes,  even  in  their  palmiest  days,  and  while  in  posses- 
sion of  the  promised  land  ;  still  he  had  some  confused  recollec- 
tion of  that  which  he  had  read  when  a  child — what  American 
has  not  ? — and  was  enabled  to  put  a  question  or  two,  in  return 
for  the  information  now  received. 

"What,  do  you  take  the  savages  of  America  for  Jews?  he 
asked,  understanding  the  general  drift  of  the  missionary's  mean- 
ing. 

"As  sure  as  you  are  there,  friend  bee-hunter,  though  you 
are  not  to  suppose  that  I  think  Peter  Onoah  of  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin.  No,  I  turn  to  the  21st  verse  for  the  tribe  of  Peter 
Naphthali — Naphthalis,  the  root  of  his  stock.  '  Naphthali  is  a 
hind,  let  loose:  he  giveth  goodly  words.'  Now,  what  can  be 
plainer  than  this  ?  A  hind  let  loose  is  a  deer  running  at  large, 
and,  by  a  metaphor,  that  deer  includes  the  man  that  hunts  him. 
Now,  Peter  has  been — nay,  is  still — a  renowned  hunter,  and  is 
intended  to  be  enumerated  among  the  hinds  let  loose ;  '  he 
giveth  goodly  words,'  would  set  that  point  at  rest,  if  any  thing 
were  wanting  to  put  it  beyond  controversy,  for  Onoah  is  the 
most  eloquent  speaker  ear  ever  listened  to  !  No  one,  that  has 
ever  heard  him  speak,  can  doubt  that  he  is  the  one  who  '  giveth 
goodly  words.' " 

To  what  other  circumstance  the  well-intentioned  missionary 
would  next  have  alluded,  in  the  course  of  this  demonstration  of 
a  theory  that  had  got  to  be  a  favorite  with  him,  is  more  than 
can  now  be  related,  since  the  Indian  himself  drew  near,  and 
put  an  end  to  the  conversation.  Peter  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  cross  the  river  at  once  ;  and  came  to  say  as  much  to  his  com- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  185 

panions,  both  of  whom  he  intended  to  leave  behind  him.  Le 
Bourdon  could  not  arrest  this  movement,  short  of  an  appeal  to 
force ;  and  force  he  did  not  like  to  use,  doubting  equally  its 
justice  and  its  prudence. 


1 86  T II K      OAK      0PEHIS08 


CHAPTER  XII. 


"  There  is  no  other  land  like  thee, 

No  dearer  shore ; 
Thou  art  the  shelter  of  the  free ; 
The  home,  the  port  of  liberty 
Thou  hast  been,  and  shalt  ever  be 

Till  time  is  o'er. 
Ere  I  forget  to  think  upon 
My  land,  shall  mother  curse  the  son 

She  bore." 

Percival. 


The  independent,  not  to  say  controlling,  manner  of  Peter, 
would  seem  to  put  all  remonstrances  and  arguments  at  defiance. 
Lc  Bourdon  soon  had  occasion  to  see  that  both  the  missionary 
and  the  corporal  submitted  to  his  wishes,  and  that  there  was 
no  use  in  gainsaying  any  thing  he  proposed.  In  all  matters  he 
did  as  he  pleased ;  his  two  companions  submitting  to  his  will 
as  completely  as  if  one  of  them  had  seen  in  this  supposed  child 
of  Israel,  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  and  the  other  even  Aaron, 
the  high-priest,  himself. 

Peter's  preparations  were  soon  made.  Every  thing  belong- 
ing to  the  missionary  and  the  corporal  was  removed  from  the 
canoe,  which  then  contained  only  the  extra  clothing  and  the 
special  property  of  the  Indian  himself.  As  soon  as  ready,  the 
latter  quietly  and  fearlessly  paddled  away,  his  canoe  going 
easily  and  swiftly  down  before  the  Avind.  He  had  no  sooner 
got  clear  of  the  rice,  than  the  bee-hunter  and  Margery  ran 
away  to  the  eminence,  to  watch  his  movements,  and  to  note 
his  reception  among  the  Pottawattamics.  Leaving  them  there, 
we  shall  accompany  the  canoe,  in  its  progress  toward  the  north- 
ern shore. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  187 

At  first,  Peter  paddled  quietly  on,  as  if  lie  had  no  other  ob- 
ject before  him  than  the  passage  of  the  river.  When  quite 
clear  of  the  rice,  however,  he  ceased,  and  undid  his  bundle  of 
clothes,  which  were  carefully  put  away  in  the  knapsack  of  a 
soldier.  From  this  repository  of  his  effects,  the  chief  carefully 
drew  forth  a  small  bundle,  on  opening  which,  no  less  than  seven 
fresh  human  scalps  appeared.  These  he  arranged  in  order  on 
a  wand-like  pole,  when,  satisfied  with  the  arrangement,  he  re- 
sumed the  paddle.  It  was  apparent,  from  the  first,  that  the 
Pottawattamies  on  the  north  shore  had  seen  the  strange  canoe 
when  it  entered  the  river,  and  they  now  collected  in  a  group, 
at  the  ordinary  landing  beneath  the  ckiente,  to  await  its  ap- 
proach. Peter  ceased  his  own  exertion,  as  soon  as  he  had  got 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  beach,  took  the  scalp-pole  in  his 
hand,  arose,  and  permitted  the  canoe  to  drift  down  before  the 
wind,  certain  it  would  take  the  desired  direction,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  his  having  placed  it  precisely  to  windward  of  the 
landing.  Once  or  twice  he  slowly  waved  the  pole  in  a  way 
to  draw  attention  to  the  scalps,  which  were  suspended  from  its 
end,  each  obvious  and  distinct  from  its  companions. 

Napoleon,  when  he  returned  from  the  campaign  of  Auster- 
litz ;  or  Wellington,  when  he  entered  the  House  of  Comm  ons 
to  receive  the  thanks  of  its  speaker,  on  his  return  from  Spain  ; 
or  the  chief  of  all  the  battles  of  the  Eio  Bravo  del  Norte  ;  or 
him  of  the  valley  of  Mexico,  whose  exploits  fairly  rival  those  of 
Cortes  himself,  could  scarcely  be  a  subject  of  greater  interest  to 
a  body  of  spectators,  assembled  to  do  him  honor,  than  was  this 
well-known  Indian,  as  he  drew  near  to  the  Pottawattamies, 
waving  his  scalps,  in  significant  triumph  !  Glory,  as  the  hom- 
age paid  by  man  to  military  renowji  is  termed,  was  the  common 
impulse  with  them  all.  It  is  true,  that,  measured  by  the  stand- 
ards of  reason  and  right,  the  wise  and  just  might  find  motives 
for  appreciating  the  victories  of  those  named  differently  from  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  usually  regarded  through  the  atmos- 
phere of  success ;  but  in  the  common  mind  it  was  all  glory, 
alike.     The  name  of  "Onoah"  passed  in  murmurs  of  admira- 


188  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

tion,  from  mouth  to  mouth ;  for,  as  it  appeared,  the  person  of 
this  renowned  Indian  was  recognized  by  many  on  the  shore, 
some  time  ere  he  reached  it  himself. 

Crowsfeather,-  and  the  other  chiefs,  advanced  to  meet  the 
visitor ;  the  young  men  standing  in  the  background,  in  respect- 
ful admiration.  Peter  now  stepped  from  the  canoe,  and  greet- 
ed each  of  the  principal  men  with  the  courteous  gravity  of  a 
savage.  He  shook  hands  with  each,  calling  one  or  two  by 
name,  a  proof  of  the  parties  having  met  before  ;  then  the  fol- 
lowing dialogue  occurred.  All  spoke  in  the  tongue  of  the 
Pottawattamies,  but,  as  we  have  had  occasion  to  remark  on 
previous  occasions,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  reader  would 
scarcely  be  able  to  understand  what  was  said,  were  we  to  re- 
cord it,  word  for  word,  in  the  language  in  which  it  was  uttered. 
In  consequence  of  this  difficulty,  and  for  other  reasons  to  which 
it  may  not  be  necessary  to  allude,  we  shall  endeavor  to  trans- 
kite  that  which  passed,  as  closely  as  the  English  idioms  will 
permit  us  so  to  do. 

"  My  father  is  very  welcome  !"  exclaimed  Crowsfeather,  who, 
by  many  degrees,  exceeded  all  his  companions  in  consideration 
and  rank.  "  I  see  he  has  taken  many  scalps  as  is  his  practice, 
and  that  the  pale-faces  are  daily  getting  to  be  fewer.  "Will  the 
sun  ever  rise  on  that  day  when  their  wigwams  will  look  like  the 
branches  of  the  oak  in  winter  ?  Can  my  father  give  us  any 
hope  of  seeing  that  hour?" 

"It  is  a  long  path  from  the  salt-lake  out  of  which  the  sun 
rises,  to  that  other  salt-lake  in  which  it  hides  itself  at  night. 
The  sun  sleeps  each  night  beneath  water,  but  it  is  so  hot  that 
it  is  soon  dried  when  it  comes  out  of  its  bed  in  the  morning. 
This  is  the  Great  Spirit's  doings,  and  not  ours.  The  sun  is  his 
sun  ;  the  Indians  can  warm  themselves  by  it,  but  they  cannot 
shorten  its  journey  a  single  tomahawk  handle's  length.  The 
same  is  true  of  time ;  it  belongs  to  the  Manitou,  who  will 
lengthen  or  shorten  it,  as  he  may  see  fit.  We  are  his  chil 
dren,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  submit.  He  has  not  forgotten 
us.     He  made  us  with  his  own  hand,  and  will  no  more  turn 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS,  180 

us  out  of  the  land  than  a  father  will  turn  his  child  from  the 
wigwam." 

"  We  hope  this  is  so  ;  but  it  does  not  seem  thus  to  our  poor 
weak  eyes,  Onoah.  We  count  the  pale-faces,  and  every  summer 
they  grow  fast  as  the  grass  on  the  prairies.  We  can  see  more 
when  the  leaf  falls  than  when  the  tree  is  in  bud ;  and,  then, 
more  when  the  leaf  is  in  bud  than  when  it  falls.  A  few  moons 
will  put  a  town  where  the  pine  stood,  and  wigwams  diive  the 
wrolves  from  their  homes.  In  a  few  years  we  shall  have  nothing 
but  dogs  to  eat,  if  the  pale-face  dogs  do  not  eat  us." 

"  Squaws  are  impatient,  but  men  know  how  to  wait.  This 
land  was  given  to  the  red  man  by  the  Great  Spirit,  as  I  have 
often  told  you,  my  children ;  if  lie  has  let  in  the  pale-faces  for 
a  few  winters,  it  is  to  punish  us  for  having  done  wrong.  Now 
that  we  are  sorry  for  what  we  have  done,  he  will  help  us  to 
drive  away  the  strangers,  and  give  us  the  woods  again  to  hunt 
in  by  ourselves.  Have  not  messengers  from  our  Great  Father 
in  Montreal  been  among  the  Pottawattamies  to  strengthen  their 
hearts  ?" 

"They  are  always  whispering  in  the  ears  of  our  tribes.  I 
cannot  remember  the  time  when  whispers  from  Montreal  have 
not  been  among  us.  Their  blankets  are  warm,  their  fire-water 
is  strong,  their  powder  is  good,  and  their  rifles  shoot  well ;  but 
all  this  does  not  stop  the  children  of  Uncle  Sam  from  being 
more  at  night  than  they  were  in  the  morning.  The  red  men 
get  tired  of  counting  them.  They  have  become  plentier  than 
the  pigeons  in  the  spring.  My  father  has  taken  many  of  their 
scalps,,  but  the  hair  must  grow  after  his  knife,  their  scalps  are 
so  many." 

"See!'  rejoined  Peter,  lowering  his  pole  so  that  all  might 
examine  his  revolting  trophies,  "these  come  from  the  soldiers 
at  the  head  of  the  lake.  Blackbird  was  there  with  his  young 
men  ;  no  one  of  them  all  got  as  many  scalps  !  This  is  the  way 
to  stop  the  white  pigeon  from  flying  over  us  in  such  flocks  as 
to  hide  and  darken  the  sun." 

Another  murmur  of  admiration  passed  through  the  crowd, 


190  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

as  each  young  warrior  Lent  forward  to  count  the  number  of  the 
scalps,  and  to  note,  by  signs  familiar  to  themselves,  the  ages, 
sex,  and  condition  of  the  different  victims.  Here  was  another 
instance  among  a  hundred  others  of  which  they  had  heard,  of  the 
prowess  of  the  mysterious  Onoah,  as  well  as  of  his  inextinguish- 
able hatred  of  the  race,  that  was  slowly,  but  unerringly,  sup- 
planting the  ancient  stock,  causing  the  places  that  once  knew 
the  people  of  their  tribes  "to  know  them  no  more."  As  soon 
as  this  little  burst  of  feeling  had  subsided,  the  conversation 
went  on. 

"We  have  had  a  pale-face  medicine-man  among  us,  Onoah," 
continued  Crowsfeather,  "  and  he  has  so  far  blinded  us  that  we 
know  not  what  to  think." 

The  chief  then  recounted  the  leading  events  of  the  visit  of 
the  bee-hunter  to  the  place,  stating  each  occurrence  fairly,  as 
he  understood  it,  and  as  fairly  confessing  that  even  the  chiefs 
were  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  make  of  the  affair.  In  addition 
to  this  account,  he  gave  the  mysterious  Onoah  the  history  of 
the  prisoner  they  had  taken,  the  death  of  Elksfoot,  their  inten- 
tion to  torture  that  very  morning  the  Chippewa  they  had  cap- 
tured, and  his  flight,  together  with  the  loss  of  their  young 
man,  and  the  subsequent  escape  of  their  unknown  enemies,  who 
had  taken  away  all  of  their  own  canoes.  How  far  the  medicine- 
man had  any  thing  to  do  with  the  other  events  of  his  narrative, 
Crowsfeather  very  candidly  admitted  he  could  not  even  con- 
jecture. He  wras  still  at  a  loss  whether  to  set  down  the  con- 
juror for  a  pretender,  or  as  a  real  oracle.  Peter,  however,  was 
less  credulous  even  than  the  chiefs.  He  had  his  superstitious 
notions,  like  all  uneducated  men,  but  a  clear  head  and  quick 
intellect  placed  him  far  above  the  weaknesses  of  the  red  man 
in  general.  On  receiving  a  description  of  the  person  of  the  un- 
known "medicine-man,"  he  at  once  recognized  the  bee-hunter. 
With  an  Indian  to  describe,  and  an  Indian  to  interpret  or  ap- 
ply, escape  from  discovery  was  next  to  impossible. 

Although  Onoah,  or  the  "  Tribeless,"  as  he  was  also  fre- 
quently called  by  the  red  men,  from  the   circumstance  of  no 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  191 

one's  knowing  to  what  particular  section  of  the  great  Indian 
family  he  belonged,  perfectly  understood  that  the  bee-hunter 
he  had  seen  on  the  other  shore  was  the  individual  who  had 
been  playing  the  part  of  a  conjurer  among  these  Pottawattamies, 
he  was  very  careful  not  to  reveal  the  fact  to  Crowsfeather.  He 
had  his  own  policy,  and  was  fully  aware  of  all  the  virtue  there 
is  in  mystery  and  reserve.  With  an  Indian,  these  qualities  go 
farther  even  than  with  a  white  man  ;  and  we  of  the  Caucasian 
race  are  not  entirely  exempt  from  the  folly  of  being  deceived 
by  appearances.  On  the  present  occasion  Peter  kept  his 
knowledge  to  himself,  still  leaving  his  red  brethren  in  doubt 
and  uncertainty  ;  but  he  took  care  to  be  right  in  his  own  opin- 
ions by  putting  as  many  questions  as  were  necessary  for  that 
purpose.  Once  assured  of  his  fact,  he  turned  to  other  subjects 
of  even  greater  interest  to  himself  and  his  companions. 

The  conference  which  now  took  place  between  the  "Tribe- 
less"  and  Crowsfeather  w7as  held  apart,  both  being  chiefs  of  too 
much  importance  to  be  intruded  on  at  a  moment  like  that. 
The  two  chiefs  exhibited  a  very  characteristic  picture  while  en- 
gaged in  this  conference.  They  seated  themselves  on  a  bank, 
and  drawing  their  legs  partially  under  them,  sat  face  to  face, 
with  their  heads  less  than  two  feet  asunder,  occasionally  gestic- 
ulating with  dignity,  but  each  speaking  in  his  turn  with 
studied  decorum.  Crowsfeather  was  highly  painted,  and  looked 
fierce  and  warlike,  but  Onoah  had  nothing  extraordinary  about 
him,  with  the  exception  of  the  decorations  and  dress  already 
described,  unless  it  might  be  his  remarkable  countenance.  The 
face  of  this  Indian  ordinarily  wore  a  thoughtful  cast,  an  expres- 
sion wdiich  it  is  not  unusual  to  meet  with  in  a  savage :  though 
at  times  it  lighted  up,  as  it  might  be  with  the  heat  of  inward 
fires,  like  the  crater  giving  out  its  occasional  flames  beneath  the 
hues  of  a  saddened  atmosphere.  One  accustomed  to  study  the 
human  face,  and  to  analyze  its  expressions,  would  possibly  have 
discovered  in  that  countenance  lines  of  deep  artifice,  together 
with  the  traces  of  a  profound  and  constitutional  enthusiasm. 
He  was  bent,  at  that  very  moment,  on  a  scheme  wrorthy  of  the 


192  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

loftiest  spirit  living ;  the  regeneration  and  union  of  the  people 
of  his  race,  with  a  view  to  recover  the  possessions  they  had 
yielded  to  the  pale-faces ;  but  it  was  a  project  blended  with  the 
ferocity  and  revenge  of  a  savage — noble  while  ferocious. 

Not  idly  had  the  whites,  scattered  along  that  frontier,  given 
the  sobriquet  of  "  Scalping"  to  Peter.  As  his  pole  now  showed, 
it  had  been  earned  in  a  hundred  scenes  of  bloody  vengeance ; 
and  so  great  had  been  his  success,  that  the  warrior,  prophet, 
and  councillor,  for  all  these  characters  were  united  in  his  single 
person,  began  to  think  the  attainment  of  his  wishes  possible. 
As  a  matter  of  course,  much  ignorance  of  the  power  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race  on  this  continent,  was  blended  with  these 
opinions  and  hopes ;  but  it  was  scarcely  an  ignorance  exceed- 
ing that  of  certain  persons  of  far  higher  pretensions  in  knowl- 
edge, who  live  in  another  hemisphere,  and  who  often  set  them- 
selves up  as  infallible  judges  of  all  things  connected  with  man 
and  his  attributes.  Peter,  the  "  Tribeless,"  was  not  more  in 
fault  than-  those  who  fancied  they  saw  the  power  of  this  great 
republic  in  the  gallant  little  band  collected  at  Corpus  Christi, 
under  its  indomitable  chief,  and  who,  march  by  march,  nay, 
foot  by  foot,  as  it  might  be,  have  perseveringly  predicted  the 
halt,  the  defeat,  the  disasters,  and  final  discomfiture,  which  it 
has  not  yet  pleased  Divine  Providence  to  inflict  on  this  slight 
effort  of  the  young  Hercules,  as  he  merely  moves  in  his  cradle. 
Alas !  the  enemy  that  most  menaces  the  overthrow  of  this  new 
and  otherwise  invincible  exhibition  of  human  force,  is  within ; 
seated  in  the  citadel  itself;  and  must  be  narrowly  watched,  or  he 
will  act  his  malignant  purpose,  and  destroy  the  fairest  hopes 
that  ever  yet  dawned  on  the  fortunes  of  the  human  race  ! 

The  conference  between  the  chiefs  lasted  fully  an  hour. 
Crowsfeather  possessed  much  of  the  confidence  of  Peter,  and, 
as  for  Onoah,  neither  Tecumthe,  nor  his  brother  the  Prophet, 
commanded  as  much  of  the  respect  of  Crowsfeather  as  he  did 
himself.  Some  even  whispered  that  the  "  Tribeless"  was  the 
individual  who  lay  behind  all,  and  that  the  others  named, 
merely  acted  as  he  suggested,  or  advised.     The  reader  will  ob- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  193 

tain  all  the  insight  into  the  future  that  it  is  necessary  now  to 
give  him,  by  getting  a  few  of  the  remarks  made  by  the  two 
colloquists,  just  before  they  joined  the  rest  of  the  party. 

"  My  father,  then,  intends  to  lead  his  pale-faces  on  a  crooked 
path,  and  take  their  scalps  when  he  has  done  with  them,"  said 
Crowsfeather,  who  had  been  gravely  listening  to  Peter's  plans 
of  future  proceeding;  "but  who  is  to  get  the  scalp  of  the 
Chippewa?" 

"  One  of  my  Pottawattamie  young  men  ;  but  not  until  I  have 
made  use  of  him.  I  have  a  medicine-priest  of  the  pale-faces 
and  a  warrior  with  me,  but  shall  not  put  their  scalps  on  my 
pole  until  they  have  paddled  me  further.  The  council  is  to  be 
first  held  in  the  Oak  Openings" — we  translate  this  term  freely, 
that  used  by  Peter  meaning  rather  "  the  open  woods  of  the 
prairies" — "  and  I  wish  to  show  my  prisoners  to  the  chiefs, 
that  they  may  see  how  easy  it  is  to  cut  oif  all  the  Yankees.  I 
have  now  four  men  of  that  people,  and  two  squaws,  in  my 
power ;  let  every  red  man  destroy  as  many,  and  the  land  will 
soon  be  clear  of  them  all !" 

This  was  uttered  with  glcamings  of  ferocity  in  the  speaker's 
face,  that  rendered  his  countenance  terrible.  Even  Crows- 
feather  quailed  a  little  before  that  fierce  aspect ;  but  the  whole 
passed  away  almost  as  soon  as  betrayed,  and  was  succeeded  by 
a  friendly  and  deceptive  smile,  that  was  characteristic  of  the 
wily  Asiatic  rather  than  of  the  aboriginal  American. 

"  They  cannot  be  counted,"  returned  the  Pottawattamie  chief, 
as  soon  as  his  restraint  was  a  little  removed  by  this  less  terrific 
aspect  of  his  companion,  "  if  all  I  hear  is  true.  Blackbird  says 
that  even  the  squaws  of  the  pale-faces  are  numerous  enough  to 
overcome  all  the  red  men  that  remain." 

"There  will  be  two  less,  when  I  fasten  to  my  pole  the  scalps 
of  those  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,"  answered  Peter,  with 
another  of  his  transient,  but  startling  gleams  of  intense  revenge, 
"  But  no  matter,  now :  my  brother  knows  all  I  wish  him  to  do. 
Not  a  hair  of  the  head  of  any  of  these  pale-faces,  must  be 
touched  by  any  hand  but  mine.  When  the  timo  comes,  the 
9 


194  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

knife  of  Onoali  is  sure.  The  Pottawattamies  shall  have  their 
canoes,  and  can  follow  us  up  the  river.  They  will  find  us  in 
the  Openings,  and  near  the  Prairie  Round.  They  know  the 
spot ;  for  the  red  men  love  to  hunt  the  deer  in  that  region. 
Now,  go  and  tell  this  to  your  young  men ;  and  tell  them  that 
corn  will  not  grow,  nor  the  deer  wait  to  be  killed  by  any  of 
your  people,  if  they  forget  to  do  as  I  have  said.  Vengeance 
shall  come,  when  it  is  time." 

Crowsfeather  communicated  all  this  to  his  warriors,  who  re- 
ceived it  as  the  ancients  received  the  words  of  their  oracles. 
Each  member  of  the  party  endeavored  to  get  an  accurate  notion 
of  his  duty,  in  order  that  he  might  comply  to  the  very  letter 
with  the  injunctions  received.  So  profound  was  the  impression 
made  among  all  the  red  men  of  the  north-west  by  the  previous 
labors  of  the  "  Tribeless"  to  awaken  a  national  spirit,  and  so 
great  was  their  dread  of  the  consequences  of  disobedience,  that 
every  warrior  present  felt  as  if  his  life  were  the  threatened 
penalty  of  neglect  or  disinclination  to  obey. 

No  sooner,  however,  had  Crowsfeather  got  through  with  his 
communication,  than  a  general  request  was  made  that  the  prob- 
lem of  the  whiskey-spring  might  be  referred  to  Onoah  for 
solution.  The  young  men  had  strong  hopes,  notwithstanding 
all  that  had  passed,  that  this  spring  might  yet  turn  out  to  be  a 
reality.  The  scent  was  still  there,  strong  and  fragrant,  and 
they  could  not  get  rid  of  the  notion  that  "  fire-water"  grew  on 
that  spot.  It  is  true,  their  faith  had  been  somewhat  disturbed 
by  the  manner  in  which  the  medicine-man  had  left  them,  and 
by  his  failure  to  draw  forth  the  gushing  stream  which  he  had 
impliedly  promised,  and  in  a  small  degree  performed  ;  neverthe- 
less little  pools  of  whiskey  had  been  found  on  the  rock,  and 
several  had  tasted  and  satisfied  themselves  of  the  quality  of  the 
liquor.  As  is  usual,  that  taste  had  created  a  desire  for  more, 
a  desire  that  seldom  slumbered  on  an  Indian  palate  when  strong 
drinks  were  connected  with  its  gratification. 

Peter  heard  the  request  with  gravity,  and  consented  to  look 
into  the  matter  with  a  due  regard  to  his  popularity  and  infiu- 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  195 

cnce.  He  had  his  own  superstitious  views,  but  among  them 
there  did  not  happen  to  be  one  which  admitted  the  possibility 
of  whiskey's  running  in  a  stream  from  the  living  rock.  Still 
he  was  willing-to  examine  the  charmed  spot,  scent  the  fragrant 
odor,  and  make  up  his  own  estimate  of  the  artifices  by  which 
the  bee-hunter  had  been  practising  on  the  untutored  beings 
into  whose  hand  chance  had  thrown  him. 

While  the  young  men  eagerly  pointed  out  the  precise  spots 
where  the  scent  was  the  strongest,  Peter  maintained  the  most 
unmoved  gravity.  He  did  not  kneel  to  smell  the  rocks,  like 
the  other  chiefs,  for  this  an  innate  sense  of  propriety  told  him 
would  be  undignified ;  but  he  made  his  observations  closely, 
and  with  a  keen  Indian-like  attention  to  every  little  circum- 
stance that  might  aid  him  in  arriving  at  the  truth.  All  this 
time,  great  was  the  awe  and  deep  the  admiration  of  the  lookers- 
on.  Onoah  had  succeeded  in  creating  a  moral  power  for  him- 
self among  the  Indians  of  the  north-west  which  much  exceeded 
that  of  any  other  red  man  of  that  region.  The  whites  scarcely 
heard  of  him,  knew  but  little  of  his  career,  and  less  of  his  true 
character,  for  both  were  shrouded  in  mystery.  There  is  noth- 
ing remarkable  in  this  ignorance  of  the  pale -faces  of  the  time. 
They  did  not  understand  their  own  leaders;  much  less  the 
leaders  of  the  children  of  the  openings,  the  prairies,  and  the 
forest.  At  this  hour,  what  is  really  known  by  the  mass  of  the 
American  people  of  the  true  characters  of  their  public  men  ? 
No  nation  that  has  any  claim  to  civilization  and  publicity  knows 
less,  and  for  several  very  obvious  reasons.  The  want  of  a  capi- 
tal in  which  the  intelligence  of  the  nation  periodically  assem- 
bles, and  whence  a  corrected  public  opinion  on  all  such  matters 
ought  constantly  to  flow,  as  truth  emanates  from  the  collisions 
of  minds,  is  one  of  these  reasons.  The  extent  of  the  country, 
which  separates  men  by  distances  that  no  fact  can  travel  over 
without  incurring  the  dangers  of  being  perverted  on  the  road, 
is  another.  But  the  most  fatal  of  all  the  influences  that  tend 
to  mislead  the  judgment  of  the  American  citizen,  is  to  be  found 
in  the  abuse  of  a  machinery  that  was  intended  to  produce  an 


19G  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

exactly  contrary  effect.  If  the  tongue  was  given  to  man  to 
communicate  ideas  to  his  fellows,  so  has  philosophy  described 
it  as  "a  gift  to  conceal  his  thoughts."  If  the  press  was  de- 
vised to  circulate  truth,  so  has  it  been  changed  into  a  means  of 
circulating  lies.  One  is  easily,  nay,  more  easily,  sent  abroad 
on  the  four  winds  of  the  heavens  than  the  other.  Truth  re- 
quires candor,  impartiality,  honesty,  research,  and  industry ; 
but  a  falsehood,  whether  designed  or  not,  stands  in  need  of 
neither.  Of  that  which  is  the  most  easily  produced,  the  country 
gets  the  most ;  and  it  were  idle  to  imagine  that  a  people  who 
blindly  and  unresistingly  submit  to  be  put,  as  it  might  be, 
under  the  feet  of  falsehood,  as  respects  all  their  own  public 
men,  can  ever  get  very  accurate  notions  of  those  of  other  na- 
tions. 

Thus  was  it  with  Onoah.  His  name  was  unknown  to  the 
whites,  except  as  a  terrible  and  much-dreaded  avenger  of  the 
wrongs  of  his  race.  With  the  red  men  it  was  very  different. 
They  had  no  "  forked  tongues"  to  make  falsehood  take  the 
place  of  truth;  or  if  such  existed,  they  were  not  believed. 
The  Pottawattamies  now  present  knew  all  about  Tecumseh,* 
of  whom  the  whites  had  also  various  and  ample  accounts.  This 
Shawanee  chief  had  long  been  active  among  them,  and  his  in- 
fluence was  extended  far  and  near.  He  was  a  bold,  restless,  and 
ingenious  warrior;  one,  perhaps,  who  better  understood  the 
art  of  war,  as  it  was  practised  among  red  men,  than  any  Indian 
then  living.  They  knew  the  name  and  person,  also,  of  his 
brother  Elkswatawa,f  or  the  Prophet,  whose  name  has  also  be- 
come incorporated  with  the  histories  of  the  times.  These 
two  chiefs  were  very  powerful,  though  scarce  dwelling  regularly 
in  any  tribe  ;  but  their  origin,  their  careers,  and  their  charac- 
ters were  known  to  all,  as  were  those  of  their  common  father, 
Pukeesheno,J  and  their  mother,  Meethetaske.  §  But  with 
Onoah  it  was  very  different.     With  him  the  past  was  as  much 


*  A  "  tiger  stooping  for  his  prey."  %  "  I  light  from  flying." 

t  "  A  door  opened."  §  "  A  turtle  laying  her  eggs  in  the  sand.* 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  1 9  "7 

of  a  mystery  as  the  future.  No  Indian  could  say  even  of  what 
tribe  lie  was  born.  The  totem  that  he  bore  on  his  person  be 
longed  to  no  people  then  existing  on  the  continent,  and  all  con- 
nected with  him,  his  history,  nation,  and  family,  was  conjecture 
and  fancy. 

It  is  said  that  the  Indians  have  traditions  which  are  commu- 
nicated only  to  a  favored  few,  and  which  by  them  have  been 
transmitted  from  generation  to  generation.  An  enlightened 
and  educated  red  man  has  quite  recently  told  us  in  person,  that 
he  had  been  made  the  repository  of  some  of  these  traditions, 
and  that  he  had  thus  obtained  enough  of  the  history  of  his  race 
to  be  satisfied  that  they  were  not  derived  from  the  lost  tribes 
of  Israel,  though  he  declined  communicating  any  more.  It  is 
so  natural  to  resort  to  secresy  in  order  to  extend  influence,  that 
we  can  have  no  difficulty  in  believing  the  existence  of  the  prac- 
tice ;  there  probably  being  no  other  reason  why  Free  Masonry 
or  Odd  Fellowship  should  have  recourse  to  such  an  expedient, 
but  to  rule  through  the  imagination  in  preference  to  the  judg- 
ment. Now  Peter  enjoyed  all  the  advantages  of  mystery.  It 
was  said  that  even  his  real  name  was  unknown,  that  of  Onoah 
having  been  given  in  token  of  the  many  scalps  he  took,  and 
that  of  Wa-wa-nosh,  which  he  also  sometimes  bore,  having 
been  bestowed  on  him  by  adoption  in  consequence  of  an  act 
of  favor  extended  to  him  from  an  Ojebway  of  some  note,  while 
that  of  Peter  was  clearly  derived  from  the  whites.  Some  of 
his  greatest  admirers  whispered  that  when  the  true  name  of  the 
'  Tribeless"  should  get  to  be  known,  his  origin,  early  career, 
and  all  relating  to  him  would  at  once  become  familiar  to  every 
red  man.  At  present,  the  Indians  must  rest  content  with  what ' 
they  saw  and  understood.  The  wisdom  of  Wa-wa-nosh  made 
itself  felt  in  the  councils  ;  his  eloquence  no  speaker  has  equal- 
led for  ages ;  as  for  his  vengeance  on  the  enemies  of  his  race, 
that  was  to  be  estimated  by  the  scalps  he  had  taken.  More 
than  this  no  Indian  was  to  be  permitted  to  know,  until  the 
mission  of  this  oracle  and  chief  was  completed. 

Had  one  enlightened  by  the  education  of  a  civilized  man 


198  THE      OAK     OTENINGS. 

been  there,  to  watch  the  movements  and  countenance  of  Peter 
as  he  scented  the  whiskey,  and  looked  in  vain  for  the  cause  of 
the  odor,  and  for  a  clue  to  the  mystery  which  so  much  per- 
plexed the  Pottawattamies,  he  would  probably  have  discovered 
some  reason  to  distrust  the  sincerity  of  this  remarkable  savage's 
doubts.  If  ever  Peter  was  an  actor,  it  was  on  that  occasion. 
He  did  not,  in  the  least,  fall  into  any  of  the  errors  of  his  com- 
panions  ;  but  the  scent  a  good  deal  confounded  him  at  first. 
At  length  he  came  to  the  natural  conclusion,  that  this  unusual 
odor  was  in  some  way  connected  with  the  family  he  had  left 
on  the  other  shore  ;  and  from  that  moment  his  mind  was  at 
case. 

It  did  not  suit  the  views  of  Peter,  however,  to  explain  to  the 
Pottawattamies  that  which  was  now  getting  to  be  so  obvious  to 
himself.  On  the  contrary,  he  rather  threw  dust  into  the  eyes 
of  the  chiefs,  with  a  view  to  bring  them  also  under  the  in- 
fluence of  superstition.  After  making  his  observations  with 
unmoved  gravity,  he  promised  a  solution  of  the  whole  affair 
when  they  should  again  meet  in  the  openings,  and  proposed  to 
recross  the  river.  Before  quitting  the  shore,  Peter  and  Crows- 
feather  had  a  clear  understanding  on  the  subject  of  their  re- 
spective movements ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  former  began  to 
paddle  up  against  the  wind,  the  latter  called  his  young  men  to- 
gether, made  a  short  address,  and  led  them  into  the  woods,  as 
if  about  to  proceed  on  a  march  of  length.  The  party,  notwith- 
standing, did  not  proceed  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half,  when  it 
came  to  a  halt,  and  lighted  a  fire  in  order  to  cook  some  venison' 
taken  on  the  way. 

When  Peter  reached  the  south  shore,  he  found  the  whole 
group  assembled  to  receive  him.  His  tale  was  soon  told.  He 
had  talked  with  the  Pottawattamies,  and  they  were  gone.  The 
canoes,  however,  must  be  carried  to  the  other  shore  and  left 
there,  in  order  that  their  owners  might  recover  their  property 
when  they  returned.  This  much  had  Peter  promised,  and  his 
pale-face  friends  must  help  him  to  keep  his  word.  Then  he 
pointed  to  the  openings  as  to  their  place  of  present  safety 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  199 

There  they  would  be  removed  from  all  immediate  danger,  and 
he  would  accompany  them  and  give  them  the  countenance  and 
protection  of  his  name  and  presence.  As  for  going  south  on 
the  lake,  that  w7as  impossible,  so  long  as  the  wind  lasted,  and  it 
was  useless  even  could  it  be  done.  The  troops  had  all  left 
Chicago,  and  the  fort  was  destroyed. 

Parson  Amen  and  Corporal  Flint,  both  of  whom  were  com- 
pletely deluded  by  Peter,  fancying  him  a  secret  friend  of  the 
whites,  in  consequence  of  his  own  protestations  to  that  effect 
and  the  service  he  had  already  rendered  them,  in  appearance  at 
least,  instantly  acquiesced  in  this  wily  savage's  proposal.  It 
was  the  best,  the  wisest,  nay,  the  only  thing  that  now  could  be 
done.  Mackinaw  was  gone,  as  wreil  as  Chicago,  and  Detroit 
must  be  reached  by  crossing  the  peninsula,  instead  of  taking  the 
easier  but  far  more  circuitous  route  of  the  lakes.  Gershom  was 
easily  enough  persuaded  into  the  belief  of  the  feasibility,  as  well 
as  of  the  necessity,  of  this  deviation  from  his  original  road,  and 
he  soon  agreed  to  accompany  the  party. 

With  le  Bourdon  the  case  was  different.  He  understood 
himself  and  the  wilderness.  For  him  the  wind  was  fair,  and 
there  was  no  necessity  for  his  touching  at  Mackinaw  at  all. 
It  is  true,  he  usually  passed  several  days  on  that  pleasant  and 
salubrious  island,  and  frequently  disposed  of  lots  of  honey  there  ; 
but  he  could  dispense  with  the  visit  and  the  sales.  There  was 
certainly  danger  now  to  be  apprehended  from  the  Ottawas,  who 
would  be  very  apt  to  be  out  on  the  lake  after  this  maritime  ex- 
cursion against  the  fort ;  but  it  was  possible  even  to  elude  their 
vigilance.  In  a  word,  the  bee-hunter  did  not  believe  in  the 
prudence  of  returning  to  the  openings,  but  thought  it  by  far  the 
wisest  for  the  wdiole  party  to  make  the  best  of  its  way  by  water 
vO  the  settlements.  All  this  he  urged  warmly  on  his  white  com- 
panions, taking  them  aside  for  that  purpose,  and  leaving  Peter 
and  Pigeonswing  together  while  he  did  so. 

But  Parson  Amen  would  as  soon  have  believed  that  his  old 
congregation  in  Connecticut  was  composed  of  Philistines,  as 
not  to  believe  that  the  red  moa  were  the  lost  tribes,  and  that 


200  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Peter,  in  particular,  was  not  especially  and  elaborately  describ- 
ed in  the  Old  Testament.  He  had  become  so  thoroughly  pos 
sessed  by  this  crotchet  as  to  pervert  every  thing  that  he  saw, 
read,  or  heard,  into  evidence,  of  some  sort  or  other,  of  the  truth 
of  his  notions.  In  this  respect  there  was  nothing  peculiar  in 
the  good  missionary's  weakness,  it  being  a  failing  common  to 
partisans  of  a  theory,  to  discover  proofs  of  its  truths  in  a  thousand 
things  in  which  indifferent  persons  can  find  even  no  connection 
with  the  subject  at  all.  In  this  frame  of  mind  the  missionary 
would  as  soon  think  of  letting  go  his  hold  on  the  Bible  itself, 
as  think  of  separating  from  an  Indian  who  might  turn  out  any 
day  to  be  a  direct  representative  of  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob.  Not  to  speak  irreverently,  but  to  use  language  that 
must  be  familiar  to  all,  the  well-meaning  missionary  wished  to 
be  in  at  the  death. 

Corporal  Flint,  too,  had  great  faith  in  Peter.  It  was  a  part 
of  the  scheme  of  the  savage  to  make  this  straightforward  soldier 
an  instrument  in  placing  many  scalps  in  his  power  ;  and  though 
he  had  designed  from  the  first  to  execute  his  bloody  office  on 
the  corporal  himself,  he  did  not  intend  to  do  so  until  he  had 
made  the  most  of  him  as  a  stool-pigeon.  Here  were  four  more 
pale-faces  thrown  in  his  power,  principally  by  means  of  the 
confidence  he  had  awakened  in  the  minds  of  the  missionary  and 
the  soldier ;  and  that  same  confidence  might  be  made  instru- 
mental in  adding  still  more  to  the  number.  Peter  was  a  saga- 
cious, even  a  far-seeing  savage,  but  he  labored  under  the  curse 
of  ignorance.  Had  his  information  been  of  a  more  extended 
nature,  he  would  have  seen  the  utter  fallacy  of  his  project  to 
destroy  the  pale-faces  altogether,  and  most  probably  would  have 
abandoned  it. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that,  while  such  men  as  Tecumthe,  his 
brother  the  Prophet,  and  Peter,  were  looking  forward  to  the 
downfall  of  the  republic  on  the  side  of  the  forest,  so  many, 
who  ought  to  have  been  better  informed  on  such  a  subject, 
were  anxiously  expecting,  nay  confidently  predicting  it,  from 
bcvond   the  Atlantic.     Notwithstanding  these    sinister   sooth- 


T  F  El     OAK     OPENINGS 


201 


snyers  the  progress  of  the  nation  has,  by  a  beneficent  Prov- 
idence, been  onward  and  onward,  until  it  is  scarcely  presump- 
tuous to  suppose  that  even  England  has  abandoned  the  expec- 
tation of  classing  this  country  again  among  her  dependencies/ 
The  fortunes  of  America,  under  God,  depend  only  on  herself. 
America  may  destroy  America  ;  of  that  there  is  danger ;  but  it 
is  pretty  certain  that  Europe  united  could  make  no  serious  im- 
pression on  her.  Favored  by  position,  and  filled  with  a  popu- 
lation that  we  have  ever  maintained  was  one  of  the  most  military 
in  existence,  a  truth  that  recent  events  are  hourly  proving  to 
be  true,  it  much  exceeds  the  power  of  all  the  enemies  of  her  in- 
stitutions to  make  any  serious  impression  on  her.  There  is  an 
enemy  who  may  prove  too  much  for  her-;  it  exists  in  her  bosom; 
and  God  alone  can  keep  him  in  subjection,  and  repress  his  des- 
olation. 

These  were  facts,  however,  of  which  Wa-wa-nosh,  or  Onoah, 
was  as  ignorant  as  if  he  were  an  English  or  French  minister  of 
state,  and  had  got  his  notions  of  the  country  from  English  or 
French  travellers,  who  wished  for  what  they  i^redicted.  He 
had  heard  of  the  towns  and  population  of  the  republic ;  but 
one  gets  a  very  imperfect  notion  of  any  fact  of  this  sort  by  re- 
port, unless  previous  experience  has  prepared  the  mind  to  make 
the  necessary  comparisons,  and  fitted  it  to  receive  the  images 
intended  to  be  conveyed.  No  wonder,  then,  that  Peter  fell 
into  a  mistake  common  to  those  who  had  so  many  better  op- 
portunities of  forming  just  opinions,  and  of  arriving  at  truths 
that  were  sufficiently  obvious  to  all  who  did  not  wilfully  shut 
their  eyes  to  their  existence. 


202  THE      OAK     OPENING  B 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  Ilearest  thou  voices  on  the  shore 
That  our  ears  perceive  no  more, 
Deafened  by  the  cataract's  roar  ? 

"  Bear,  through  sorrow,  wrong  and  ruth, 
In  thy  heart  the  deAV  of  youth, 
On  thy  lips  the  smile  of  truth." 

Longfellow. 

From  all  that  lias  been  stated,  the  reader  will,  probably,  be 
prepared  to  learn  that  Boden  did  not  succeed  in  his  effort  to 
persuade  Gershom,  and  the  other  Christians,  to  accompany 
him  on  his  voyage  round  by  Lake  Huron.  Corporal  Flint  was 
obdurate,  and  Parson  Amen  confiding.  As  for  Gershom,  he 
did  not  like  the  thought  of  retracing  his  steps  so  soon,  and 
the  females  were  obliged  to  remain  with  the  husband  and 
brother. 

"  You  had  better  get  out  of  the  river  while  all  the  canoes 
are  on  this  side,"  said  Margery,  as  she  and  le  Bourdon  walked 
toward  the  boats  in  company,  the  council  having  ended,  and 
every  thing  beginning  to  assume  the  appearance  of  action. 
"Remember  you  will  be  quite  alone,  and  have  a  long,  long  road 
to  travel !" 

"I  do  remember  all  this,  Margery,  and  see  the  necessity  for 
all  of  us  getting  back  to  the  settlements  as  fast  as  we  can.  I 
don't  half  like  this  Peter ;  his  name  is  a  bad  one  in  the  gar- 
risons, and  it  makes  me  miserable  to  think  that  you  may  be  in 
his  power." 

"  The  missionary  and  the  corporal,  as  well  as  my  brother, 
seem  willing  to  trust  him — what  can  two  females  do,  when  theif 
male  protector  has  made  up  his  mind  in  such  a  matter  I" 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  203 

"One  who  would  very  gladly  be  your  protector,  pretty 
Margery,  has  not  made  up  his  mind  to  the  prudence  of 
trusting  Peter  at  all.  Put  yourself  under  my  care,  and  my 
life  shall  be  lost,  or  I  will  carry  you  safe  to  your  friends  in 
Detroit." 

This  might  be  deemed  tolerably  explicit ;  yet  was  it  not  suf- 
ficiently so  to  satisfy  female  scruples,  or  female  rights.  Margery 
blushed,  and  she  looked  down,  while  she  did  not  look  absolutely 
displeased.  But  her  answer  was  given  firmly,  and  with  a 
promptitude  that  showed  she  was  quite  in  earnest. 

"I  cannot  quit  Dorothy, placed  as  she  is — and  it  is  my  duty 
to  die  with  brother,"  she  said. 

"Have  you  thought  enough  of  this,  Margery?  may  not  re- 
flection change  your  mind  ?" 

"  This  is  a  duty  on  which  a  girl  is  not  called  to  reflect  ;  she 
must  feel,  in  a  matter  of  conscience.' ■ 

The  bee-hunter  fairly  sighed,  and  from  a  very  resolute,  he 
became  a  very  irresolute  sort  of  person.  As  was  natural  to 
one  in  his  situation,  he  let  out  the  secret  current  his  thoughts 
had  taken,  in  the  remarks  which  followed. 

"  I  do  not  like  the  manner  in  which  Peter  and  Pigeonswing 
are  now  talking  together,"  he  said.  "When  an  Injin  is  so 
earnest,  there  is  generally  mischief  brewing.  Do  you  see 
Peter's  manner  V~ 

"  He  seems  to  be  telling  the  young  warrior  something  that 
makes  both  forget  themselves.  I  never  saw  two  men  who  seem 
so  completely  to  forget  all  the  rest  of  the  world  as  them  two 
savages !  What  can  be  the  meaning,  Bourdon,  of  so  much 
fierce  earnestness  !•• 

"I  would  give  the  world  to  know — possibly  the  Chippewa 
may  tell  me.  We  understand  each  other  tolerably  well,  and, 
just  as  you  spoke,  he  gave  me  a  secret  sign  that  I  have  a  right 
to  think  means  confidence  and  friendship.  That  savage  is 
either  a  fast  friend,  or  a  thorough  villain." 

" Is  it  safe  to  trust  any  of  them,  Bourdon?  No — no — your 
best  way  will  be  to  go  down  the  lakes,  and  get  back  to  Detroit 


204  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

as  soon  as  you  can.  Not  only  your  property,  but  your  life,  is 
at  risk." 

"  Go,  and  leave  you  here,  Margery — here,  with  a  brother 
whose  failing  you  know  as  well  as  I  do,  and  who  may,  at  any 
moment,  fall  back  into  his  old  ways !  I  should  not  be  a  man 
to  do  it  !" 

".But  brother  can  get  no  liquor,  now,  for  it  is  all  emptied. 
When  himself  for  a  few  days,  Gershom  is  a  good  protector,  as 
well  as  a  good  provider.  You  must  not  judge  brother  too 
harshly,  from  what  you  have  seen  of  him,  Bourdon." 

"I  do  not  wish  to  judge  him  at  all,  Margery.  We  all  have 
our  failin's,  and  whiskey  is  his.  I  dare  say  mine  are  quite  as 
bad,  in  some  other  way.  It's  enough  for  me,  Margery,  that 
Gershom  is  your  brother,  to  cause  me  to  try  to  think  well  of 
him.  We  must  not  trust  to  there  being  no  more  liquor  among 
us;  for,  if  that  so'ger  is  altogether  without  his  rations,  he's  the 
first  so'ger  I  ever  met  with  who  was  I" 

"But  this  corporal  is  a  friend  of  the  minister,  and  ministers 
ought  not  to  drink  I" 

"  Ministers  are  like  other  men,  as  them  that  live  much 
among  'em  will  soon  find  out.  Hows' ever,  if  you  will  stay, 
Margery,  there  is  no  more  to  be  said.  I  must  cache*  my  honey, 
and  get  the  canoe  ready  to  go  up  stream  again.  Where  you 
go,  Margery,  I  go  too,  unless  you  tell  me  that  you  do  not  wish 
my  company." 

This  was  said  quietly,  but  in  the  manner  of  one  whose  mind 
wras  made  up.  Margery  scarce  knew  how  to  take  it.  That 
she  was  secretly  delighted,  cannot  be  denied  ;  while,  at  the 
same  time,  that  she  felt  a  generous  and  lively  concern  for  the 
fortunes  of  le  Bourdon,  is  quite  as  certain.  As  Gershom  just 
then  called  to  her  to  lend  her  assistance  in  preparing  to  em- 
bark, she  had  no  leisure  for  expostulation,  nor  do  Ave  know 
that  she  now  seriously  wished  to  divert  the  bee-hunter  from  hia 
purpose. 

*  A  western  term,  obviously  derived  from  cacher,  to  conceal.     Cache  is  much  used 
by  the  western  adventurers. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  205 

It  was  soon  understood  by  every  one  that  the  river  was  to  be 
crossed,  in  order  that  Gershom  might  get  his  household  effects, 
previously  to  ascending  the  Kalamazoo.  This  set  all  at  work 
but  the  Chippewa,  who  appeared  to  le  Bourdon  to  be  watchful 
and  full  of  distrust.  As  the  latter  had  a  job  before  him  that 
would  be  likely  to  consume  a  couple  of  hours,  the  others  were 
ready  for  a  start  long  before  he  had  his  hole  dug.  It  was 
therefore  arranged  that  the  bee-hunter  should  complete  his  task, 
while  the  others  crossed  the  stream,  and  went  in  quest  of  Ger~ 
shom's  scanty  stock  of  household  goods.  Pigeonswing,  how- 
ever, was  not  to  be  found,  when  the  canoes  were  ready,  and 
Peter  proceeded  without  him.  Nor  did  le  Bourdon  see  any 
thing  of  his  friend  until  the  adventurers  were  fairly  on  the  north 
shore,  when  he  rejoined  le  Bourdon,  sitting  on  a  log,  a  curious 
spectator  of  the  latter' s  devices  to  conceal  his  property,  but  not 
offering  to  aid  him  in  a  single  movement.  The  bee-hunter  too 
well  understood  an  Indian  warrior's  aversion  to  labor  of  all  sorts, 
unless  it  be  connected  with  his  military  achievements,  to  be 
surprised  at  his  companion's  indifference  to  his  own  toil.  As 
the  work  went  on,  a  friendly  dialogue  was  kept  up  between  the 
parties. 

"I  didn't  know,  Pigeonswing,  but  you  had  started  for  the 
openings,  before  us,"  observed  le  Bourdon.  "  That  tribeless 
old  Injin  made  something  of  a  fuss  about  your  being  out  of  the 
way ;  I  dare  say  he  wanted  you  to  help  back  the  furniture  down 
to  the  canoes." 

"  Got  squaw — what  he  want  better  to  do  dat." 

"  So  you  would  put  that  pretty  piece  of  work  on  such  persons 
as  Margery  and  Dolly !" 

u  Why  not,  no?  Bot'  squaw — bot'  know  how.  Dere  busi- 
ness to  work  for  warrior." 

"Did  you  keep  out  of  the  way,  then,  lest  old  Peter  should 
get  you  at  a  job  that  is  onsuitable  to  your  manhood?" 

"Keep  out  of  way  of  Pottawattamie,"  returned  the  Chippe- 
wa;  "  no  want  to  lose  scalp — raclder  take  his'n." 

"But  Peter  says  the  Pottawattamies  are  all  gone,  and  tha< 


200  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

we  have  no  longer  any  reason  to  fear  them  ;  and  this  medicine- 
priest  tells  us,  that  what  Peter  says  we  can  depend  on  for 
truth." 

"Dat  good  medicine-man,  eh  ?  T'ink  he  know^  a  great  great 
deal,  eh?" 

"That  is  more  than  I  can  tell  you,  Pigeonswing  ;  for  though 
I've  been  a  medicine-man  myself,  so  lately,  it  is  in  a  different 
line  altogether  from  that  of  Parson  Amen's." 

As  the  bee-hunter  uttered  this  answer,  he  was  putting  the 
last  of  his  honey-kegs  into  the  cache,  and  as  he  rose  from  com- 
pleting the  operation,  he  laughed  heartily,  like  one  who  saw 
images  in  the  occurrences  of  the  past  night,  that  tended  to 
divert  himself,  if  they  had  not  the  same  effect  on  the  other 
spectators. 

"If  you  medicine-man,  can  tell  who  Peter  be?  Winneba- 
goe,  Sioux,  Fox,  Ojebway,  Six  Nations,  all  say  don't  know 
him.     Medicine-man  ought  to  know — who  he  be,  eh  J" 

"I  am  not  enough  of  a  medicine-mar  lo  answer  your  ques- 
tion, Pigeonswing.  Set  me  at  finding  a  whiskey-spring,  or 
any  little  job  of  that  sort,  and  I'll  turn  my  back  to  no  other 
whiskey- spring  finder  on  the  whole  frontier  ;  but,  as  for  Peter 
he  goes  beyond  my  calculations,  quite.  Why  is  he  called 
Scalping  Peter  in  the  garrisons,  if  he  be  so  good  an  Injin, 
Chippewa?" 

"  You  ask  question — you  answer.  Don't  know,  'less  he  take 
a  good  many  scalps.  Hear  he  do  take  all  he  can  find — den 
hear  he  don't.' ' 

"  But  you  take  all  you  can  find,  Pigeonswing ;  and  that 
which  is  good  in  you,  cannot  be  so  bad  in  Peter." 

"Don't  take  scalp  from  friend.  When  you  hear  Pigeons- 
wing scalp  friend,  eh?" 

"  I  never  did  hear  it ;  and  hope  I  never  shall.  But  when 
did  you  hear  that  Peter  is  so  wicked  ?" 

"S'pose  he  don't,  'cause  he  got  no  friend  among  pale-face. 
Bes'  take  care  of  clat  man  ?" 

"I'm  of  your  way  of  thinking,  myself,  Chippewa;  though 


TUB      OAK     OPENINGS.  207 

the  corporal  and  the  priest  think  him  all  in  all.  When  I  asked 
Parson  Amen  how  he  came  to  be  the  associate  of  one  who  went 
by  a  scalping  name  even,  he  told  me  it  was  all  name ;  that 
Peter  hadn't  touched  a  hair  of  a  human  head,  in  the  way  of 
scalping,  since  his  youth,  and  that  most  of  his  notions  and  ways 
were  quite  Jewish.  The  parson  has  almost  as  much  faith  in 
Peter,  as  he  has  in  his  religion  ;  I'm  not  quite  sure  he  has  not 
even  more." 

"  No  matter.  Bes'  always  for  pale-face  to  trust  pale-face,  and 
Injin  to  trust  Injin.     Dat  most  likely  to  be  right." 

"  Nevertheless,  I  trust  you,  Pigeonswing;  and,  hitherto,  you 
have  not  deceived  me  !" 

The  Chippewa  cast  a  glance  of  so  much  meaning  on  the  bee- 
hunter,  that  the  last  was  troubled  by  it.  For  many  a  day  did 
le  Bourdon  remember  that  look ;  and  painful  were  the  appre- 
hensions to  which  it  gave  birth.  Until  that  morning,  the  inter- 
course between  the  two  had  been  of  the  most  confidential 
character ;  but  something  like  a  fierce  hatred  was  blended  in 
that  look.  Could  it  be  that  the  feelings  of  the  Chippewa  were 
changed  ?  and  was  it  possible  that  Peter  was  in  any  way  con- 
nected with  this  alteration  in  looks  and  sentiments  ?  All  these 
suspicions  passed  through  le  Bourdon's  mind,  as  he  finished  his 
cache ;  and  sufficiently  disagreeable  did  he  find  it  to  entertain 
them.  The  circumstances,  however,  did  not  admit  of  any 
change  of  plan ;  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  two  were  in  the 
canoe,  and  on  their  way  to  join  their  companions. 

Peter  had  dealt  fairly  enough  with  those  who  accompanied 
him.  The  Pottawatamies  were  nowhere  to  be  seen,  and  Ger- 
shom  led  the  corporal  to  the  place  where  his  household  goods 
had  been  secreted,  in  so  much  confidence,  that  both  the  men 
left  their  arms  behind  them.  Such  was  the  state  of  things  when 
le  Bourdon  reached  the  north  shore.  The  young  man  was 
startled,  when  his  eyes  first  fell  on  the  rifles ;  but,  on  looking 
around,  there  did  not  really  appear  to  be  any  sufficient  reason 
why  they  might  not  be  laid  aside  for  a  few  minutes. 

The  bee-hunter,  having  disposed  of  all  his  honey,  had  now  a 


208  THE     OAK      OPENINGS. 

nearly  empty  canoe  ;  accordingly,  lie  received  a  portion  of 
Gershom's  effects  ;  all  of  which  were  safely  transported  from 
their  place  of  concealment  to  the  water  side.  Their  owner  was 
slowly  recovering  the  use  of  his  body  and  mind,  though  still  a 
little  dull,  from  his  recent  debauch.  The  females  supplied  his 
place,  however,  in  many  respects;  and  two  hours  after  the 
party  had  landed,  it  was  ready  again  to  proceed  on  its  journey 
into  the  interior.  The  last  article  was  stowed  in  one  of  the 
canoes,  and  Gershom  announced  his  willingness  to  depart. 

At  this  moment,  Peter  led  the  bee-hunter  aside,  telling  his 
friends,  that  he  would  speedily  rejoin  them.  Our  hero  followed 
his  savage  leader  along  the  foot  of  the  declivity,  in  the  rear  of  the 
hut,  until  the  former  stopped  at  the  place  where  the  first,  and 
principal  fire  of  the  past  night,  had  been  lighted.  Here  Peter 
made  a  sweeping  gesture  of  his  hand,  as  if  to  invite  his  com- 
panion to  survey  the  different  objects  around.  As  this  charac- 
teristic gesture  was  made,  the  Indian  spoke. 

"  My  brother  is  a  medicine-man,"  he  said.  "  He  knows 
where  whiskey  grows — let  him  tell  Peter  where  to  find  the 
spring." 

The  recollection  of  the  scene  of  the  previous  night,  came  so 
fresh  and  vividly  over  the  imagination  of  the  bee-hunter,  that, 
instead  of  answering  the  question  of  the  chief,  he  burst  into  a 
hearty  fit  of  laughter.  Then,  fearful  of  giving  offence,  he  was 
about  to  apologize  for  a  mirth  so  ill-timed,  when  the  Indian 
smiled,  with  a  gleam  of  intelligence  on  his  swarthy  face,  that 
seemed  to  say,  "  I  understand  it  all,"  and  continued — 

"  Good — the  chief  with  three  eyes" — in  allusion  to  the  spy- 
glass that  le  Bourdon  always  carried  suspended  from  his  neck — 
"is  a  very  great  medicine-man ;  he  knows  when  to  laugh,  and 
when  to  look  sad.  The  Pottawattamies  were  dry,  and  he 
wanted  to  find  them  some  whiskey  to  drink,  but  could  not — 
our  brother,  in  the  canoe,  had  drunk  it  all.     Good." 

Again  the  bee-hunter  laughed ;  and  though  Peter  did  not 
join  in  his  mirth,  it  was  quite  plain  that  he  understood  its  cause. 
With  this  £Ood-naturcd  sort  of  intelligence  between  them,  the 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  209 

two  returned  to  the  canoes  ;  the  bee-hunter  always  supposing 
that  the  Indian  had  obtained  his  object,  in  receiving  his  indirect 
admission,  that  the  scene  of  the  previous  night  had  been  merely 
a  piece  of  ingenious  jugglery.  So  much  of  a  courtier,  however, 
was  Peter,  and  so  entire  his  self-command,  that  on  no  occasion, 
afterward,  did  he  ever  make  any  farther  allusion  to  the  subject. 

The  ascent  of  the  river  was  now  commenced.  It  was  not  a 
difficult  matter  for  le  Bourdon  to  persuade  Margery,  that  hei 
brother's  canoe  would  be  too  heavily  loaded  for  such  a  passage, 
unless  she  consented  to  quit  it  for  his  own.  Pigeonswing  took 
the  girl's  place,  and  was  of  material  assistance  in  forcing  the 
light,  but  steady  craft,  up  stream.  The  three  others  continued 
in  the  canoe  in  which  they  had  entered  the  river.  With  this 
arrangement,  therefore,  our  adventurers  commenced  this  new 
journey. 

Every  reader  will  easily  understand,  that  ascending  such  a 
stream  as  the  Kalamazoo,  was  a  very  different  thing  from  de- 
scending it.  The  progress  was  slow,  and  at  many  points  labo- 
rious. At  several  of  the  "  rifts,"  it  became  necessary  to  "-track" 
the  canoes  up;  and  places  occurred  at  which  the  only  safe 
way  of  proceeding  was  to  unload  them  altogether,  and  trans- 
port boats,  cargoes  and  all,  on  the  shoulders  of  the  men,  across 
what  are  called,  in  the  language  of  the  country,  "  portages," 
or  "  carrying-places."  In  such  toil  as  this,  the  corporal  was 
found  to  be  very  serviceable ;  but  neither  of  the  Indians  de- 
clined to  lend  their  assistance,  in  work  of  this  manly  character. 
By  this  time,  moreover,  Gershom  had  come  round,  and  wras  an 
able-bodied,  vigorous  assistant,  once  more.  If  the  corporal 
was  the  master  of  any  alcohol,  he  judiciously  kept  it  a  secret ; 
for  not  a  drop  passed  any  one's  lips  during  the  whole  of  that 
toilsome  journey. 

Although  the  difficult  places  in  the  river  were  sufficiently 
numerous,  most  of  the  reaches  were  places  having  steady,  but 
not  swift  currents  toward  the  lake.  In  these  reaches  the  pad- 
dles, and  those  not  very  vigorously  applied,  enabled  the  travel- 
lers to  advance  as  fast  as  was  desirable  ;  and  such  tranquil  waters 


210  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

were  a  sort  of  resting-places  to  those  who  managed  the  canoes. 
It  was  while  ascending  these  easy  channels,  that  conversation 
most  occurred ;  each  speaker  yielding,  as  was  natural,  to  the 
impulses  of  the  thoughts  uppermost  in  his  mind.  The  mission- 
ary talked  much  of  the  Jews  ;  and,  as  the  canoes  came  near 
each  other,  he  entered  at  large,  with  their  different  occupants, 
into  the  reasons  he  had  for  believing  that  the  red  men  of  Amer- 
ica were  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  "  The  very  use  of  the  word 
'tribes,'"  would  this  simple-minded,  and  not  very  profound 
expounder  of  the  word  of  God,  say,  "  is  one  proof  of  the  truth 
of  what  I  tell  you.  Now,  no  one  thinks  of  dividing  the  white 
men  of  America  into  'tribes.'  Who  ever  heard  of  the  'tribe' 
of  New  England,  or  of  the  '  tribe'  of  Virginia,  or  of  the  '  tribe' 
of  the  middle  states  ?*  Even  among  the  blacks,  there  are  no 
tribes.  There  is  a  very  remarkable  passage  in  the  sixty-eighth 
Psalm,  that  has  greatly  struck  me,  since  my  mind  has  turned, 
to  this  subject;  'God  shall  wound  the  head  of  his  enemies,' 
saith  the  Psalmist,  '  and  the  hairy  scalp  of  such  a  one  as  goeth 
on  still  in  his  wickedness.'  Here  is  a  very  obvious  allusion  to 
a  well-known,  and  what  we  think,  a  barbarous  practice  of  the 
red  men  ;  but,  rely  on  it,  friends,  nothing  that  is  permitted  on 
earth  is  permitted  in  vain.  The  attentive  reader  of  the  inspired 
book,  by  gleaning  here  and  there,  can  collect  together  much 
authority  for  this  new  opinion  about  the  lost  tribes ;  and  the 
day  will  come,  I  do  not  doubt,  when  men  will  marvel  that  the 
truth  hath  been  so  long  hidden  from  them.  I  can  scarcely 
open  a  chapter,  in  the  Old  Testament,  that  some  passage  does 


*  The  reader  is  not  to  infer  any  exaggeration  in  this  picture.  There  is  no  end  to  tho 
ignorance  and  folly  of  sects  and  parties,  when  religious  or  political  zeal  runs  high.  Tho 
writer  well  remembers  to  have  heard  a  Universalist,  of  more  zeal  than  learning,  adduce, 
as  an  argument  in  favor  of  his  doctrine,  the  twenty-fifth  chapter  and  forty-sixth  verse 
of  St.  Matthew,  where  we  arc  told  that  the  wicked  "shall  go  away  into  everlasting 
punishment;  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal;'1'1  by  drawing  a  distinction  between 
the  adjectives,  and  this  so  much  the  more,  because  the  Old  Testament  speaks  of 
"  everlastmg  hills,11  and  "  everlasting  valleys :"  thus  proving,  from  the  Bible,  a  sub- 
stantial difference  between  "everlasting11  and  "eternal."  Now,  every  sophomoro 
knows,  that  the  word  used  in  Matthew  is  the  same  in  both  cases,  being  "  aluvlov"  >r 
"existing  forever.11 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  211 

not  strike  me  as  going  to  prove  this  identity,  between  the  red 
men  and  the  Hebrews  ;  and,  were  they  all  collected  together, 
and  published  in  a  book,  mankind  would  be  astonished  at  their 
lucidity  and  weight.  As  for  scalping,  it  is  a  horrid  thing  in 
our  eyes,  but  it  is  honorable  with  the  red  men ;  and  I  have 
quoted  to  you  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  in  order  to  show  the 
manner  in  which  divine  wisdom  inflicts  penalties  on  sin.  Here 
is  plain  justification  of  the  practice,  provided  always  that  the 
sufferer  be  in  the  bondage  of  transgression,  and  obnoxious  to 
divine  censure.  Let  no  man,  therefore,  in  the  pride  of  his 
learning,  and,  perhaps,  of  his  prosperity,  disdain  to  believe 
things  that  are  so  manifestly  taught  and  foretold ;  but  let  us 
all  bow  in  humble  submission  to  the  will  of  a  Being  who,  to 
our  finite  understanding,  is  so  perfectly  incomprehensible." 

We  trust  that  no  one  of  our  readers  will  be  disposed  to  deride 
Parson  Amen' s  speculations  on  this  interesting  subject,  although 
this  may  happen  to  be  the  first  occasion  on  which  he  has  ever 
heard  the  practice  of  taking  scalps  justified  by  Scripture. 
Viewed  in  a  proper  spirit,  they  ought  merely  to  convey  a 
lesson  of  humility,  by  rendering  apparent  the  wisdom,  nay  the 
necessity,  of  men's  keeping  themselves  within  the  limits  of  the 
sphere  of  knowledge  they  were  designed  to  fill,  and  convey, 
when  rightly  considered,  as  much  of  a  lesson  to  the  Puseyite, 
with  abstractions  that  are  quite  as  unintelligible  to  himself  as 
they  are  to  others ;  to  the  high-wrought  and  dogmatical  Cal- 
vinist,  who  in  the  midst  of  his  fiery  zeal,  forgets  that  love  is 
the  very  essence  of  the  relation  between  God  and  man ;  to  the 
Quaker,  who  seems  to  think  the  cut  of  a  coat  essential  to  sal- 
vation ;  to  the  descendant  of  the  Puritan,  who  whether  he  be 
Socinian,  Calvinist,  TJniversalist,  or  any  other  "ist,"  appears 
to  believe  that  the  "rock1'  on  which  Christ  declared  he  would 
found  his  church  was  the  "  Rock  of  Plymouth ;"  and  to  the  un- 
believer, who,  in  deriding  all  creeds,  does  not  know  where  to 
turn  to  find  one  to  substitute  in  their  stead.  Humility,  in 
matters  of  this  sort,  is  the  great  lesson  that  all  should  teach  and 
learn  ;   for  it  opens  the  way  to  charity,  and  eventually  to  faith, 


212  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

and  tlirouga  both  of  these  to  hope  ;  finally,  through  all  of  these, 
to  heaven. 

The  journey  up  the  Kalamazoo  lasted  many  days,  the  ascent 
being  often  so  painful,  and  no  one  seeming  in  a  hurry.  Peter 
waited  for  the  time  set  for  his  council  to  approach,  and  was 
as  well  content  to  remain  in  his  canoe,  as  to  "  camp  out"  in  the 
openings.  Gershom  never  was  in  haste,  while  the  bee-hunter 
would  have  been  satisfied  to  pass  the  summer  in  so  pleasant  a 
manner,  Margery  being  seated  most  of  the  time  in  his  canoe. 
In  his  ordinary  excursions,  le  Bourdon  carried  the  mastiff  as  a 
companion ;  but,  now  that  his  place  was  so  much  better  filled, 
Hive  was  suffered  to  roam  the  woods  that  lined  most  of  the 
river-banks,  joining  his  master  from  time  to  time  at  the  port- 
ages or  landings. 

As  for  the  missionary  and  the  corporal,  impatience  formed 
no  part  of  their  present  disposition.  The  first  had  been  led, 
by  the  artful  Peter,  to  expect  great  results  to  his  theory  from 
the  assembly  of  chiefs  which  was  to  meet  in  the  " openings;" 
and  the  credulous  parson  was,  in  one  sense,  going  as  blindly 
on  the  path  of  destruction,  as  any  sinner  it  had  ever  been  his 
duty  to  warn  of  his  fate,  was  proceeding  in  the  same  direction 
in  another.  The  corporal,  too,  was  the  dupe  of  Peter's  artifices. 
This  man  had  heard  so  many  stories  to  the  Indian's  prejudice, 
at  the  different  posts  where  he  had  been  stationed,  as  at  first  to 
render  him  exceedingly  averse  to  making  the  present  journey 
in  his  company.  The  necessity  of  the  case,  as  connected  with 
the  preservation  of  his  own  life  after  the  massacre  of  Fort  Dear- 
born, and  the  influence  of  the  missionary,  had  induced  him  to 
overlook  his  ancient  prejudices,  and  to  forget  opinions  that,  it 
now  occurred  to  him,  had  been  founded  in  error.  Once  fairly 
within  the  influence  of  Peter's  wiles,  a  simple-minded  soldier 
like  the  corporal,  was  soon  completely  made  the  Indian's  dupe. 
By  the  time  the  canoe  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo, 
as  has  been  related,  each  of  these  men  placed  the  most  implicit 
reliance  on  the  good  faitli  and  friendly  feelings  of  the  very 
being  whose  entire  life,  both  sleeping  and  waking  thoughts, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  21 3 

were  devoted,  not  only  to  his  destruction,  but  to  that  of  the 
whole  white  race  on  the  American  continent.  So  bland  was 
the  manner  of  this  terrible  savage,  when  it  comported  with  his 
views  to  conceal  his  ruthless  designs,  that  persons  more  prac- 
tised and  observant  than  either  of  his  two  companions  might 
have  been  its  dupes,  not  to  say  its  victims.  While  the  mission- 
ary was  completely  mystified  by  his  own  headlong  desire  to 
establish  a  theory,  and  to  announce  to  the  religious  world 
where  the  lost  tribes  were  to  be  found,  the  corporal  had  aided 
in  deceiving  himself,  also,  by  another  process.  With  him, 
Peter  had  privately  conversed  of  war,  and  had  insinuated  that 
he  was  secretly  laboring  in  behalf  of  his  great  father  at  Wash- 
ington, and  against  the  other  great  father  down  at  Montreal. 
As  between  the  two,  Peter  professed  to  lean  to  the  interests  of 
the  first ;  though,  had  he  laid  bare  his  inmost  soul,  a  fiery  ha- 
tred of  each  would  have  been  found  to  be  its  predominant  feel- 
ing. But  Corporal  Flint  fondly  fancied  he  was  making  a  con- 
cealed march  with  an  ally,  while  he  thus  accompanied  one  of 
the  fiercest  enemies  of  his  race. 

Peter  is  not  to  be  judged  too  harshly.  It  is  always  respect- 
able to  defend  the  fireside,  and  the  land  of  one's  nativity,  al- 
though the  cause  connected  with  it  may  be  sometimes  wrong. 
This  Indian  knew  nothing  of  the  principles  of  colonization,  and 
had  no  conception  that  any  other  than  its  original  owners — 
original  so  far  as  his  traditions  reached — could  have  a  right  to 
his  own  hunting-grounds.  Of  the  slow  but  certain  steps  by 
which  an  overruling  Providence  is  extending  a  knowledge  of 
the  true  God,  and  of  the  great  atonement  through  the  death  of 
his  blessed  Son,  Peter  had  no  conception  ;  nor  would  it  prob- 
ably have  seemed  right  to  his  contracted  mind,  had  he  even 
seen  and  understood  this  general  tendency  of  things.  To  him, 
the  pale-face  appeared  only  as  a  rapacious  invader,  and  not  a 
creature  obeying  the  great  law  of  his  destiny,  the  end  of  which  is 
doubtless  to  help  knowledge  to  abound,  until  it  shall  "  cover 
the  whole  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea."  Hatred,  inex- 
tinguishable and  active  hatred,  appeared  to  be  the  law  of  this 


214  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

man's  being  ;  and  he  devoted  all  the  means,  aided  by  all  the  in- 
telligence he  possessed,  to  the  furtherance  of  his  narrow  and 
short-sighted  means  of  vengeance  and  redress.  In  all  this,  he 
acted  in  common  with  Tecumthe  and  his  brother,  though  his 
consummate  art  kept  him  behind  a  veil,  while  the  others  were 
known  and  recognized  as  open  and  active  foes.  No  publication 
speaks  of  this  Peter,  nor  does  any  orator  enumerate  his  quali- 
ties, while  the  other  two  chiefs  have  been  the  subjects  of  every 
species  of  descriptive  talent,  from  that  of  the  poet  to  that  of  the 
painter. 

As  day  passed  after  day,  the  feeling  of  distrust  in  the  bosom 
of  the  bee-hunter  grew  weaker  and  weaker,  and  Peter  succeed- 
ed in  gradually  worming  himself  into  his  confidence  also.  This 
was  done,  moreover,  without  any  apparent  effort.  The  Indian 
made  no  professions  of  friendship,  laid  himself  out  for  no  par- 
ticular attention,  nor  ever  seemed  to  care  how  his  companions 
regarded  his  deportment.  His  secret  purposes  he  kept  care- 
fully smothered  in  his  own  breast,  it  is  true  ;  but,  beyond  that, 
no  other  sign  of  duplicity  could  have  been  discovered  even  by 
one  who  knew  his  objects  and  schemes.  So  profound  was  his 
art,  that  it  had  the  aspect  of  nature.  Pigeon  swing  alone  was 
alive  to  the  danger  of  this  man's  company;  and  he  knew  it  only 
by  means  of  certain  semi-confidential  communications  received 
in  his  character  of  a  red  man.  It  was  no  part  of  Peter's  true 
policy  to  become  an  ally  to  either  of  the  great  belligerents  of 
the  da}f.  On  the  contrary,  his  ardent  wish  was  to  see  them 
destroy  each  other,  and  it  was  the  sudden  occurrence  of  the 
present  war  that  had  given  a  new  impulse  to  his  hopes,  and  a 
new  stimulus  to  his  efforts,  as  a  time  most  propitious  to  his 
purposes.  He  was  perfectly  aware  of  the  state  of  the  Chippe- 
wa's feelings,  and  he  knew  that  this  man  was  hostile  to  the 
Pottawattamies,  as  well  as  to  most  of  the  tribes  of  Michigan  ; 
but  this  made  no  difference  with  him.  If  Pigeonswing  took 
the  scalp  of  a  white  man,  he  cared  not  whether  it  grew  on  an 

English  or  an  American  head  :  in  either  case  it  was  the  destrue- 
ns ' 

tion  of  his  enemy.     With  such  a  policy  constantly  in  view,  it 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  215 

cannot  be  matter  of  surprise  that  Peter  continued  on  just  ad 
good  terms  with  Pigeonswing  as  with  Crowsfeather.  But  one 
precaution  was  observed  in  his  intercourse  with  the  first.  To 
Crowsfeather,  then  on  the  war-path  in  quest  of  Yankee  scalpn, 
he  had  freely  communicated  his  designs  on  his  own  white  com- 
panions, while  he  did  not  dare  to  confide  to  the  Chippewa  this 
particular  secret,  since  that  Indian's  relations  with  the  bee- 
hunter  were  so  amicable  as  to  be  visible  to  every  observer. 
Peter  felt  the  necessity  of  especial  caution  in  his  communication 
with  this  savage,  therefore ;  and  this  was  the  reason  why  the 
Chippewa  was  in  so  much  painful  uncertainty  as  to  the  other's 
intentions.  He  had  learned  enough  to  be  distrustful,  but  not 
enough  to  act  with  decision. 

Once,  and  once  only,  during  their  slow  passage  up  the  Kala- 
mazoo, did  the  bee-hunter  observe  something  about  Peter  to 
awaken  his  original  apprehensions.  The  fourth  day  after  leav- 
ing the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  when  the  whole  party  were 
resting  after  the  toil  of  passing  a  "  carrying-place,"  our  hero 
had  observed  the  eyes  of  that  tribeless  savage  roaming  from 
one  white  face  to  another,  with  an  expression  in  them  so  very 
fiendish,  as  actually  to  cause  his  heart  to  beat  quicker  than 
common.  The  look  was  such  a  one  as  le  Bourdon  could  not 
remember  to  have  ever  before  beheld  in  a  human  countenance. 
In  point  of  fact,  he  had  seen  Peter  in  one  of  those  moments 
when  the  pent  fires  of  the  volcano,  that  ceaselessly  raged  with- 
in his  bosom,  were  becoming  difficult  to  suppress  ;  and  when 
memory  was  busiest  in  recalling  to  his  imagination  scenes  of 
oppression  and  wrong,  that  the  white  man  is  only  too  apt  to 
forget  amid  the  ease  of  his  civilization,  and  the  security  of  his 
power.  But  the  look,  and  the  impression  produced  by  it  on 
le  Bourdon,  soon  passed  away,  and  were  forgotten  by  him  to 
whom  it  might  otherwise  have  proved  to  be  a  most  useful 
warning. 

It  was  a  little  remarkable  that  Margery  actually  grew  to  be 
attached  to  Peter,  often  manifesting  toward  the  chief  attentions 
and  feelings  such  as  a  daughter  is   apt  to  exhibit  toward    a 


216  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

father.  This  arose  from  the  high  and  courteous  bearing  of  this 
extraordinary  savage.  At  all  times,  an  Indian  warrior  is  apt  to 
maintain  the  dignified  and  courteous  bearing  that  has  so  often 
been  remarked  in  the  race,  but  it  is  very  seldom  that  he  goes 
out  of  his  way  to  manifest  attention  to  the  squaws.  Doubtless 
these  men  have  the  feelings  of  humanity,  and  love  their  wives 
and  offspring  like  others  ;  but  it  is  so  essential  a  part  of  their 
training  to  suppress  the  exhibition  of  such  emotions,  that  it  is 
seldom  the  mere  looker-on  has  occasion  to  note  them.  Peter, 
however,  had  neither  wife  nor  child ;  or  if  they  existed,  no  one 
knew  where  either  was  to  be  found.  The  same  mystery 
shrouded  this  part  of  his  history  as  veiled  all  the  rest.  In  his 
hunts,  various  opportunities  occurred  for  exhibiting  to  the 
females  manly  attentions,  by  offering  to  them  the  choicest 
pieces  of  his  game,  and  pointing  out  the  most  approved  Indian 
modes  of  cooking  the  meats,  so  as  to  preserve  their  savory  prop- 
erties. This  he  did  sparingly  at  first,  and  as  a  part  of  a  sys- 
tem of  profound  deception ;  but  day  by  day,  and  hour  after 
hour,  most  especially  with  Margery,  did  his  manner  become 
sensibly  less  distant,  and  more  natural.  The  artlessness,  the 
gentle  qualities,  blended  with  feminine  spirit  as  they  were,  and 
the  innocent  gayety  of  the  girl,  appeared  to  win  on  this  nearly 
remorseless  savage,  in  spite  of  his  efforts  to  resist  her  influence. 
Perhaps  the  beauty  of  Margery  contributed  its  share  in  exciting 
these  novel  emotions  in  the  breast  of  one  so  stern.  We  do  not 
mean  that  Peter  yielded  to  feelings  akin  to  love  ;  of  this,  he 
was  in  a  manner  incapable ;  but  a  man  can  submit  to  a  gentle 
regard  for  woman  that  shall  be  totally  free  from  passion.  This 
sort  of  regard  Peter  certainly  began  to  entertain  for  Margery  ; 
and  like  begetting  like,  as  money  produces  money,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  confidence  of  the  girl  herself,  as  well  as  her 
sympathies,  should  continue  to  increase  in  the  favor  of  this  ter- 
rible Indian. 

But  the  changes  of  feeling,  and  the  various  little  incidents 
to  which  we  have  alluded,  did  not  occur  in  a  single  moment 
of  time.     Day  passed  after  day,  and  still  the  canoes  were  work- 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  2l0 

ing  tlieii  way  up  the  winding  channels  of  the  Kalamazoo, 
placing  at  each  setting  sun  longer  and  longer  reaches  of  its 
sinuous  stream  between  the  travellers  and  the  broad  sheet  of 
Michigan.  As  le  Bourdon  had  been  up  and  down  the  river 
often,  in  his  various  excursions,  he  acted  as  the  pilot  of  the 
navigation ;  though  all  worked,  even  to  the  missionary  and  the 
Chippewa.  On  such  an  expedition,  toil  was  not  deemed  to  be 
discreditable  to  a  warrior,  and  Pigeonswing  used  the  paddle 
and  the  pole  as  willingly,  and  with  as  much  dexterity,  as  any 
of  the  party. 

It  was  only  on  the  eleventh  day  after  quitting  the  month  of 
the  river,  that  the  canoes  came-to  in  the  little  bay  where  le 
Bourdon  was  in  the  habit  of  securing  his  light  bark,  when  in 
the  openings.  Castle  Meal  was  in  full  view,  standing  peace- 
fully in  its  sweet  solitude ;  and  Hive,  who,  as  he  came  within 
the  range  of  his  old  hunts,  had  started  off,  and  got  to  the  spot 
the  previous  evening,  now  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river  to 
welcome  his  master  and  his  friends  to  the  chiente.  It  wanted  a 
few  minutes  of  sunset  as  the  travellers  landed,  and  the  parting 
rays  of  the  great  luminary  of  our  system  were  glancing  through 
the  various  glades  of  the  openings,  imparting  a  mellow  softness 
to  the  herbage  and  flowers.  So  far  as  the  bee-hunter  could 
perceive,  not  even  a  bear  had  visited  the  place  in  his  absence. 
On  ascending  to  his  abode  and  examining  the  fastenings,  and 
on  entering  the  hut,  storehouse,  &c,  le  Bourdon  became  satis- 
fied that  all  the  property  he  had  left  behind  was  safe,  and  that 
the  foot  of  man — he  almost  thought  of  beast  too — had  not  visit- 
ed the  spot  at  all  during  the  last  fortnight. 
10 


218  THE      OAK      OPENING  B. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"Ilope  in  your  mountains,  and  hope  in  your  streams, 
Bow  down  in  their  worship,  and  loudly  pray ; 
Trust  in  your  strength,  and  believe  in  your  dreams, 
•  But  the  wind  shall  carry  them  all  away." 

Bkainard. 

The  week  which  succeeded  the  arrival  of  our  party -at  Chd- 
ieau  an  Miel,  or  Castle  Meal,  as  le  Bourdon  used  to  call  his 
abode,  was  one  of  very  active  labor.  It  was  necessary  to 
house  the  adventurers,  and  the  little  habitation  already  built 
was  quite  insufficient  for  such  a  purpose.  It  was  given  to  the 
females,  who  used  it  as  a  private  apartment  for  themselves, 
while  the  cooking,  eating,  and  even  sleeping,  so  far  as  the  males 
were  concerned,  were  all  done  beneath  the  trees  of  the  open- 
ings. But  a  new  chiente  was  soon  constructed,  which,  though 
wanting  in  the  completeness  and  strength  of  Castle  Meal,  was 
sufficient  for  the  wants  of  these  sojourners  in  the  wilderness. 
It  is  surprising  with  how  little  of  those  comforts  which  civiliza- 
tion induces  us  to  regard  as  necessaries  we  can  get  along,  when 
cast  into  the  midst  of  the  western  wilds.  The  female  whose 
foot  has  trodden,  from  infancy  upward,  on  nothing  harder  than 
a  good  carpet — who  has  been  reared  amid  all  the  appliances 
of  abundance  and  art,  seems  at  once  to  change  her  nature, 
along  with  her  habits,  and  often  proves  a  heroine,  and  an  active 
assistant,  when  there  was  so  much  reason  to  apprehend  she 
might  turn  out  to  be  merely  an  encumbrance.  In  the  course 
of  a  life  that  is  now  getting  to  be  well  stored  with  experience 
of  this  sort,  as  well  as  of  many  other  varieties,  we  can  recall  a 
hundred  cases   of  women,   who  were   born   and   nurtured    in 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  219 

affluence  and  abundance,  who  have  cheerfully  quitted  the  scenes 
of  youth,  their  silks  and  satins,  their  china  and  plate,  their  ma- 
hogany and  Brussels,  to  follow  husbands  and  fathers  into  the 
wilderness,  there  to  compete  with  the  savage,  often  for  food, 
and  always  for  the  final  possession  of  the  soil ! 

But  in  the  case  of  Dorothy  and  Blossom,  the  change  had 
never  been  of  this  very  broad  character,  and  habit  had  long 
been  preparing  them  for  scenes  even  more  savage  than  that  into 
which  they  were  now  cast.  Both  were  accustomed  to  work, 
as,  blessed  be  God  !  the  American  woman  usually  works  ;  that 
is  to  say,  within  doors,  and  to  render  home  neat,  comfortable 
and  welcome.  As  housewives,  they  were  expert  and  willing, 
considering  the  meagreness  of  their  means  ;  and  le  Bourdon 
told  the  half-delighted,  half-blushing  Margery,  ere  the  latter 
had  been  twenty-four  hours  in  his  chiente,  that  nothing  but  the 
presence  of  such  a  one  as  herself  was  wanting  to  render  it  an 
abode  fit  for  a  prince !  Then,  the  cooking  was  so  much  im- 
proved !  Apart  from  cleanliness,  the  venison  was  found  to  be 
more  savory ;  the  cakes  were  lighter ;  and  the  pork  less  greasy. 
On  this  subject  of  grease,  however,  we  could  wish  that  a  sense 
of  right  would  enable  us  to  announce  its  utter  extinction  in  the 
American  kitchen ;  or,  if  not  absolutely  its  extinction,  such  a 
subjection  of  the  unctuous  properties,  as  to  bring  them  within 
the  limits  of  a  reasonably  accurate  and  healthful  taste.  To  be 
frank,  Dorothy  carried  a  somewhat  heavy  hand,  in  this  respect ; 
but  pretty  Margery  was  much  her  superior.  How  this  differ- 
ence in  domestic  discipline  occurred,  is  more  than  we  can  say ; 
but  of  its  existence  there  can  be  no  doubt.  There  are  two 
very  respectable  sections  of  the  civilized  world  to  which  we 
should  imagine  no  rational  being  would  ever  think  of  resorting 
in  order  to  acquire  the  art  of  cookery,  and  these  are  Germany 
and  the  land  of  the  Pilgrims.  One  hears,  and  reads  in  those 
elegant  specimens  of  the  polite  literature  of  the  day,  the  letters 
from  Washington,  and  from  various  travellers,  who  go  up  and 
down  this  river  in  steamboats,  or  along  that  railway,  gratis, 
much  in  honor  of  the  good  things  left  behind  the  several  writers, 


220  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

in  the  "  region  of  the  kock;"  but,  woe  betide  the  wight  who 
is  silly  enough  to  believe  in  all  this  poetical  imagery,  and  who 
travels  in  that  direction,  in  the  expectation  of  finding  a  good 
table  !  It  is  extraordinary  that  such  a  marked  difference  does 
exist,  on  an  interest  of  this  magnitude,  among  such  near  neigh- 
bors ;  but,  of  the  fact,  we  should  think  no  intelligent  and  ex- 
perienced man  can  doubt.  Believing  as  we  do,  that  no  small 
portion  of  the  elements  of  national  character  can  be,  and  are, 
formed  in  the  kitchen,  the  circumstance  may  appear  to  us  of 
more  moment  than  to  some  of  our  readers.  The  vacuum  left 
in  cookery,  between  Boston  and  Baltimore,  for  instance,  is 
something  like  that  which  exists  between  Le  Verrier's  new 
planet  and  the  sun. 

But  Margery  could  even  fry  pork  without  causing  it  to  swim 
in  grease,  and  at  preparing  a  venison  steak,  a  professed  cook 
was  not  her  superior.  She  also  understood  various  little  mys- 
teries, in  the  way  of  converting  their  berries  and  fruits  of  the 
wilderness  into  pleasant  dishes  ;  and  Corporal  Flint  soon  affirmed 
that  it  was  a  thousand  pities  she  did  not  live  in  a  garrison, 
which,  agreeably  to  his  view  of  things,  was  something  like 
placing  her  at  the  comptoir  of  the  Cafe  de  Paris,  or  of  marrying 
her  to  some  second  Vatel. 

With  the  eating  and  drinking,  the  building  advanced  pari 
passu.  Pigeonswing  brought  in  his  venison,  his  ducks,  his 
pigeons,  and  his  game  of  different  varieties,  daily,  keeping  the 
larder  quite  as  well  supplied  as  comported  with  the  warmth  of 
the  weather ;  while  the  others  worked  on  the  new  ckiente.  In 
order  to  obtain  materials  for  this  building,  one  so  much  larger 
than  his  old  abode,  Ben  went  up  the  Kalamazoo  about  half  a 
mile,  where  he  felled  a  sufficient  number  of  young  pines,  with 
trunks  of  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  cutting  them  into  lengths 
of  twenty  and  thirty  feet,  respectively.  These  lengths,  or 
trunks,  were  rolled  into  the  river,  down  which  they  slowly 
floated,  until  they  arrived  abreast  of  Castle  Meal,  where  they 
were  met  by  Peter,  in  a  canoe,  who  towed  each  stick,  as  it 
arrived,  to  the  place  of  landing.     In  this  way,  at  the  end  of 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  221 

two  days'  work,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  materials  was  collected 
to  commence  directly  on  the  building  itself. 

Log-houses  are  of  so  common  occurrence,  as  to  require  no 
particular  description  of  the  one  now  put  up,  from  us.  It  was 
rather  less  than  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  one-third  narrower 
than  it  was  long.  The  logs  were  notched,  and  the  insterstices 
were  filled  by  pieces  of  the  pine,  split  to  a  convenient  size.  The 
roof  was  of  bark,  and  of  the  simplest  construction,  while  there 
was  neither  door  nor  window;  though  one  aperture  was  left 
for  the  first,  and  two  for  the  last.  Corporal  Flint,  however, 
was  resolved  that  not  only  a  door  should  be  made,  as  well  as 
shatters  for  the  windows,  but  that  the  house  should,  in  time, 
be  picketed.  When  le  Bourdon  remonstrated  with  him  on  the 
folly  of  taking  so  much  unnecessary  pains,  it  led  to  a  discussion, 
in  which  the  missionary  even  felt  constrained  to  join. 

"What's  the  use — what's  the  use?"  exclaimed  le  Bourdon 
a  little  impatiently,  when  he  found  the  corporal  getting  to 
be  in  earnest  in  his  proposal.  "Here  have  I  lived,  safely, 
two  seasons  in  Castle  Meal,  without  any  pickets  or  palisades  ; 
and  yet  you  want  to  turn  this  new  house  into  a  reg'lar  gar- 
rison !" 

"  Aye,  Bourdon,  that  was  in  peaceable  times  ;  but  these  is 
war  times.  I've  seen  the  fall  of  Fort  Dearborn,  and  I  don't 
want  to  see  the  fall  of  another  post  this  war.  The  Pottawat- 
tamies  is  hostile,  even  Peter  owns ;  and  the  Pottawattamies 
has  been  here  once,  as  you  say  yourself,  and  may  come  ag'in." 

"The  only  Pottawattamie  who  has  ever  been  at  this  spot,  to 
my  knowledge,  is  dead,  and  his  bones  are  bleaching  up  yonder 
in  the  openings.     No  fear  of  him,  then." 

"His  body  is  gone,"  answered  the  corporal;  "and  what  is 
more,  the  rifle  is  gone  with  it.  I  heard  that  his  rifle  had 
been  forgotten,  and  went  to  collect  the  arms  left  on  the  field 
of  battle,  but  found  nothing.  No  doubt  his  friends  have 
burned,  or  buried,  the  chief,  and  they  will  be  apt  to  take 
another  look  in  this  quarter  of  the  country,  having  l'arnt  the 
road." 


222  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Boden  was  struck  with  this  intelligence,  as  well  as  with  tho 
reasoning,  and  after  a  moment's  pause,  he  answered  in  a  way 
that  showed  a  wavering  purpose. 

"It  will  take  a  week's  work,  to  picket  or  palisade  the 
house,"  he  answered,  "  and  I  wish  to  be  busy  among  the  bees, 
once  more." 

"Goto  your  bees,  Bourdon,  and  leave  me  to  fortify  and 
garrison,  as  becomes  my  trade.  Parson  Amen,  here,  will  tell 
you  that  the  children  of  Israel  are  often  bloody-minded,  and 
are  not  to  be  forgotten." 

"The  corporal  is  right,"  put  in  the  missionary  ;  "the  cor- 
poral is  quite  right.  The  whole  history  of  the  ancient  Jews 
gives  us  this  character  of  them  ;  and  even  Saul  of  Tarsus  was 
bent  on  persecution  and  slaughter,  until  his  hand  was  stayed  by 
the  direct  manifestation  of  the  power  of  God.  I  can  see  glim- 
merings of  this  spirit  in  Peter,  and  this  at  a  moment  when  he 
is  almost  ready  to  admit  that  he's  a  descendant  of  Israel." 

"Is  Peter  ready  to  allow  that?"  asked  the  bee-hunter,  with 
more  interest  in  the  answer  than  he  would  have  been  willing  to 
allow. 

"  As  good  as  that — yes,  quite  as  good  as  that.  I  can  see, 
plainly,  that  Peter  has  some  heavy  mystery  on  his  mind ; 
sooner,  or  later,  we  shall  learn  it.  When  it  does  come  out,  tho 
world  may  be  prepared  to  learn  the  whole  history  of  the  Ten 
Tribes!" 

"  In  my  judgment,"  observed  the  corporal,  "  that  chief  could 
give  the  history  of  twenty,  if  he  was  so  minded." 

"  There  were  but  ten  of  them,  brother  Flint — but  ten  ;  and 
of  those  ten  he  could  give  us  a  full  and  highly  interesting  ac- 
count. One  of  these  days,  we  shall  hear  it  all ;  in  the  mean 
time,  it  may  be  well  enough  to  turn  one  of  these  houses  into 
some  sort  of  a  garrison." 

"Let  it,  then,  be  Castle  Meal,"  said  le  Bourdon  ;  "surely,  if 
any  one  is  to  be  defended  and  fortified  in  this  way,  it  ought  to 
be  the  women.  You  may  easily  palisade  that  hut,  which  is  so 
much  stronger  than  this,  and  so  much  smaller." 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  223 

With  this  compromise,  the  work  went  on.  The  corporal 
dug  a  trench  four  feet  deep,  encircling  the  "  castle,"  as  happy  as 
a  lord  the  whole  time  ;  for  this  was  not  the  first  time  he  had 
been  at  such  work,  which  he  considered  to  be  altogether  in 
character,  and  suitable  to  his  profession.  No  youthful  engineer, 
fresh  from  the  Point,  that  seat  of  military  learning  to  which  the 
republic  is  even  more  indebted  for  its  signal  successes  in  Mexico, 
than  to  the  high  military  character  of  this  population — no  young 
aspirant  for  glory,  fresh  from  this  useful  school,  could  have 
greater  delight  in  laying  out  his  first  bastion,  or  counter-scarp, 
or  glacis,  than  Corporal  Flint  enjoyed  in  fortifying  Castle  Meal. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  this  was  the  first  occasion  he 
was  ever  actually  at  the  head  of  the  engineering  department. 
Hitherto,  it  had  been  his  fortune  to  follow ;  but  now  it  had 
become  his  duty  to  lead.  As  no  one  else,  of  that  party,  had  ever 
been  employed  in  such  a  work  on  any  previous  occasion,  the 
corporal  did  not  affect  to  conceal  the  superior  knowledge  with 
which  he  was  overflowing.  Gershom  he  found  a  ready  and 
active  assistant ;  for,  by  this  time,  the  whiskey  was  well  out  of 
him  ;  and  he  toiled  with  the  greater  willingness,  as  he  felt  that 
the  palisades  would  add  to  the  security  of  his  wife  and  sister. 
Neither  did  Parson  Amen  disdain  to  use  the  pick  and  shovel ; 
for,  while  the  missionary  had  the  fullest  reliance  in  the  fact  that 
the  red  men  of  that  region  were  the  descendants  of  the  children 
of  Israel,  he  regarded  them  as  a  portion  of  the  chosen  people 
who  were  living  under  the  ban  of  the  divine  displeasure,  and  as 
more  than  usually  influenced  by  those  evil  spirits,  whom  St. 
Paul  mentions  as  the  powers  of  the  air.  In  a  word,  wrhile  the 
good  missionary  had  all  faith  in  the  final  conversion  and  restora- 
tion of  these  children  of  the  forests,  he  did  not  overlook  the 
facts  of  their  present  barbarity,  and  great  propensity  to  scalp. 
He  was  not  quite  as  efficient  as  Gershom,  at  this  novel  employ- 
ment, but  a  certain  inborn  zeal  rendered  him  both  active  and 
useful.  As  for  the  Indians,  neither  of  them  deigned  to  touch 
a  tool.  Pigeonswing  had  little  opportunity  for  so  doing,  indeed, 
being  usually,  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun,  out  hunting 


224  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

for  the  support  of  the  party ;  while  Peter  passed  most  of  his 
time  in  ruminations  and  solitary  walks.  This  last  paid  little 
attention  to  the  work  about  the  castle,  either  knowing  it  would, 
at  any  moment,  by  an  act  of  treachery,  be  in  his  power  to  ren- 
der all  these  precautions  of  no  avail ;  or,  relying  on  the  amount 
of  savage  force  that  he  knew  was  about  to  collect  in  the  open- 
ings. Whenever  he  cast  a  glance  on  the  progress  of  the  work, 
it  was  with  an  eye  of  great  indifference ;  once  he  even  carried 
his  duplicity  so  far,  as  to  make  a  suggestion  to  the  corporal,  by 
means  of  which,  as  he  himself  expressed  it,  in  his  imperfect 
English — "Injin  no  get  inside,  to  use  knife  and  tomahawk." 
This  seeming  indifference,  on  the  part  of  Peter,  did  not  escape 
the  observation  of  the  bee-hunter,  who  became  still  less  dis- 
trustful of  that  mysterious  savage,  as  he  noted  his  conduct  in 
connection  with  the  dispositions  making  for  defence. 

Le  Bourdon  would  not  allow  a  tree  of  any  sort  to  be  felled 
anywhere  near  his  abode.  While  the  corporal  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  busy  in  digging  the  trench,  he  had  gone  to  a  con- 
siderable distance,  quite  out  of  sight  from  Castle  Meal,  and 
near  his  great  highway,  the  river,  where  he  cut  and  trimmed 
the  necessary  number  of  burr- oaks  for  the  palisades.  Boden 
labored  the  more  cheerfully  at  this  work,  for  two  especial  rea- 
sons. One  was  the  fact  that  the  defences  might  be  useful  to 
himself,  hereafter,  as  much  against  bears  as  against  Indians; 
and  the  other,  because  Margery  daily  brought  her  sewing  or 
knitting,  and  sat  on  the  fallen  trees,  laughing  and  chatting,  as 
the  axe  performed  its  duties.  On  three  several  occasions  Peter 
was  present,  also,  accompanying  Blossom,  with  a  kindness  of 
manner,  and  an  attention  to  her  pretty  little  tastes  in  culling 
flowers,  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  man  of  a  higher 
school  of  civilization. 

The  reader  is  not  to  suppose,  however,  because  the  Indian 
pays  but  little  outward  attention  to  the  squaws,  that  he  is  with- 
out natural  feeling,  or  manliness  of  character.  In  some  re- 
spects his  chivalrous  devotion  to  the  sex  is,  perhaps,  in  no 
degree  inferior  to  that  of  the  class  which  makes  a  parade  of 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  225 

such  sentiments,  and  this  quite  as  much  from  convention  and 
ostentation,  as  from  any  other  motive.  The  red  man  is  still  a 
savage  beyond  all  question,  but  he  is  a  savage  with  so  many 
nobler  and  more  manly  qualities,  when  uncorrupted  by  com- 
munion with  the  worst  class  of  whites,  and  not  degraded  by 
extreme  poverty,  as  justly  to  render  him  a  subject  of  our  ad- 
miration, in  self-respect,  in  dignity,  and  in  simplicity  of  de- 
portment. The  Indian  chief  is  usually  a  gentleman ;  and  this 
though  he  may  have  never  heard  of  Revelation,  and  has  not  the 
smallest  notion  of  the  Atonement,  and  of  the  deep  obligations 
it  has  laid  on  the  human  race. 

Amid  the  numberless  exaggerations  of  the  day,  one  of  partic- 
ular capacity  has  arisen  connected  with  the  supposed  character 
of  a  gentleman.  Those  who  regard  all  things  through  the 
medium  of  religious  feeling,  are  apt  to  insist  that  he  who  is  a 
Christian,  is  necessarily  a  gentleman;  while  he  can  be  no 
thorough  gentleman,  who  has  not  most  of  the  qualities  of  the 
Christian  character.  This  confusion  in  thought  and  language, 
can  lead  to  no  really  useful  result,  while  it  embarrasses  the 
minds  of  many,  and  renders  the  expression  of  our  ideas  less 
exact  and  comprehensive  than  they  would  otherwise  be. 

We  conceive  that  a  man  may  be  very  much  of  a  Christian,, 
and  very  little  of  a  gentleman  ;  or  very  much  of  a  gentleman, 
and  very  little  of  a  Christian.  There  is,  in  short,  not  much  in 
common  between  the  two  characters,  though  it  is  possible  for 
them  to  become  united  in  the  same  individual.  That  the 
finished  courtesies  of  polished  life  may  wear  some  of  the  aspects 
of  that  benevolence  which  causes  the  Christian  "to  love  his 
neighbor  as  himself, "  is  certainly  true,  though  the  motives  of 
the  parties  are  so  very  different  as  to  destroy  all  real  identity 
between  them.  While  the  moving  principle  of  a  gentleman  is 
self-respect,  that  of  a  Christian  is  humility.  The  first  is  ready 
to  lay  down  his  life  in  order  to  wipe  away  an  imaginary  dis~ 
honor,  or  to  take  the  life  of  another ;  the  last  is  taught  to  turn 
the  other  cheek,  when  smitten.  In  a  word,  the  first  keeps  the 
world,  its  opinions  and  its   estimation  ever  uppermost  in  his 


226  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

thoughts  ;  the  last  lives  only  to  reverence  God,  and  to  conform 
to  his  will,  in  obedience  to  his  revealed  mandates.  Certainly, 
there  is  that  which  is  both  grateful  and  useful  in  the  refined 
deportment  of  one  whose  mind,  and  manners  have  been  polished 
even  in  the  schools  of  the  world  ;  but  it  is  degrading  to  the 
profoundly  beautiful  submission  of  the  truly  Christian  temper, 
to  imagine  that  any  thing  like  a  moral  parallel  can  justly  be 
run  between  them. 

Of  course,  Peter  had.  none  of  the  qualities  of  him  who  sees 
and  feels  his  own  defects,  and.  relies  only  on  the  merits  of  the 
atonement  for  his  place  among  the  children  of  light,  while  he 
had  so  many  of  those  qualities  which  depend  on  the  estimate 
which  man  is  so  apt  to  place  on  his  own  merits.  In  this  last 
sense,  this  Indian  had  a  great  many  of  the  essentials  of  a  gen- 
tleman ;  a  lofty  courtesy  presiding  over  all  his  intercourse  with 
others,  when  passion  or  policy  did  not  thrust  in  new  and  sud- 
den principles  of  action.  Even  the  missionary  was  so  much 
struck  with  the  gentleness  of  this  mysterious  savage's  deport- 
ment in  connection  with  Margery,  as  at  first  to  impute  it  to  a 
growing  desire  to  make  a  wife  of  that  flower  of  the  wilderness. 
But  closer  observation  induced  greater  justice  to  the  Indian  in 
this  respect.  Nothing  like  the  uneasiness,  impatience,  or  dis- 
trust of  passion  could  be  discerned  in  his  demeanor  ;  and  when 
Parson  Amen  perceived  that  the  bee-hunter's  marked  devotion 
to  the  beautiful  Blossom  rather  excited  a  benevolent  and  kind 
interest  in  the  feelings  of  Peter,  so  far  at  least  as  one  could 
judge  of  the  heart  by  external  appearances,  than  any  thing  that 
bore  the  fierce  and  uneasy  impulses  of  jealousy,  he  was  satisfied 
that  his  original  impression  was  a  mistake. 

As  le  Bourdon  flourished  his  axe,  and  Margery  plied  her 
needles,  making  a  wholesome  provision  for  the  coming  winter, 
the  mysterious  Indian  would  stand,  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  a 
time,  immovable  as  a  statue,  his  eyes  riveted  first  on  one,  and 
then  on  the  other.  What  passed  at  such  moments  in  that  stern 
breast,  it  exceeds  the  penetration  of  man  to  say ;  but  that  the 
emotions  thus  pent  within  barriers  that  none  could  pass  or  de- 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  227 

stroy,  were  not  always  ferocious  and  revengeful,  a  carefully  obser- 
vant spectator  might  possibly  have  suspected,  had  such  a  per- 
son been  there  to  note  all  the  signs  of  what  was  uppermost  in 
the  chiefs  thoughts.  Still,  gleamings  of  sudden,  but  intense 
ferocity  did  occasionally  occur;  and,  at  such  instants,  the 
countenance  of  this  extraordinary  being  was  truly  terrific.  For- 
tunately, such  bursts  of  uncontrollable  feeling  were  transient, 
being  of  rare  occurrence,  and  of  very  short  duration. 

By  the  time  the  corporal  had  his  trenches  dug,  le  Bourdon 
was  prepared  with  his  palisades,  which  were  just  one  hundred 
in  number,  being  intended  to  enclose  a  space  of  forty  feet 
square.  The  men  all  united  in  the  transportation  of  the  timber, 
which  was  floated  down  the  river  on  a  raft  of  white  pine, 
the  burr-oak  being  of  a  specific  gravity  that  fresh  water  would 
not  sustain.  A  couple  of  days,  however,  sufficed  for  the  trans- 
portation by  water,  and  as  many  more  for  that  by  land,  between 
the  place  of  landing  and  Castle  Meal.  This  much  accomplished, 
the  whole  party  rested  from  their  labors,  the  day  which  suc- 
ceeded being  the  Sabbath. 

Those  who  dwell  habitually  amid  the  haunts  of  men,  alone 
thoroughly  realize  the  vast  importance  that  ought  to  be  attached 
to  the  great  day  of  rest.  Men  on  the  ocean,  and  men  in  the 
forest,  are  only  too  apt  to  overlook  the  returns  of  the  Sabbath ; 
thus  slowly,  but  inevitably  alienating  themselves  more  and  more 
from  the  dread  Being  who  established  the  festival,  as  much  in 
his  own  honor  as  for  the  good  of  man.  When  we  are  told  that 
the  Almighty  is  jealous  of  his  rights,  and  desires  to  be  worship- 
ped, we  are  not  to  estimate  this  wish  by  any  known  human 
standard,  but  are  ever  to  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  exactly  in  pro- 
portion as  we  do  reverence  the  Creator  and  Ruler  of  heaven 
and  earth  that  we  are  nearest,  or  farthest,  from  the  condition 
of  the  blessed.  It  is  probably  for  his  own  good,  that  the  adora- 
tion of  man  is  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of  God. 

The  missionary,  though  a  visionary  and  an  enthusiast,  as  re- 
spected the  children  of  Israel,  was  a  zealous  observer  of  his 
duties.     On  Sundays,  he  never  neglected  to  set  up  his  taberna- 


228  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

ele,  even  though  it  were  in  a  howling  wilderness,  and  went 
regularly  through  the  worship  of  God,  according  to  the  form  of 
the  sect  to  which  he  belonged.  His  influence,  on  the  present 
occasion,  was  sufficient  to  cause  a  suspension  of  all  labor 
though  not  without  some  remonstrances  on  the  part  of  the 
corporal.  The  latter  contended  that,  in  military  affairs,  there 
was  no  Sunday  known,  unless  it  might  be  in  peaceable  times, 
and  that  he  had  never  heard  of  intrenchments  "  resting  from 
their  labors,"  on  the  part  of  either  the  besieger  or  the  besieged. 
Work  of  that  sort,  he  thought,  ought  to  go  on,  day  and  night,  by 
means  of  reliefs ;  and,  instead  of  pausing  to  hold  church,  he  had 
actually  contemplated  detailing  fatigue  parties  to  labor  through, 
not  only  that  day,  but  the  whole  of  the  succeeding  night. 

As  for  Peter,  he  never  offered  the  slightest  objection  to  any 
of  Parson  Amen's  sermons  or  prayers.  He  listened  to  both 
with  unmoved  gravity,  though  no  apparent  impression  was  ever 
made  on  his  feelings.  The  Chippewa  hunted  on  the  Sabbaths 
as  much  as  on  any  other  day ;  and  it  was  in  reference  to  this 
fact  that  the  following  little  conversation  took  place  between 
Margery  and  the  missionary,  as  the  party  sat  beneath  the  oaks, 
passing  a  tranquil  eventide  at  midsummer. 

"  How  happens  it,  Mr.  Amen,"  said  Margery,  who  had  in- 
sensibly adopted  the  missionary's  sobriquet,  "  that  no  red  man 
keeps  the  Sabbath-day,  if  they  are  all  descended  from  the  Jews? 
This  is  one  of  the  most  respected  of  all  the  commandments, 
and  it  does  not  seem  natural" — Margery's  use  of  terms  was 
necessarily  influenced  by  association  and  education — u  that  any 
of  that  people  should  wholly  forget  the  day  of  rest." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  not  aware,  Margery,  that  the  Jews,  even 
in  civilized  countries,  do  not  keep  the  same  Sabbath  as  the 
Christians,"  returned  the  missionary.  "  They  have  public 
worship  on  a  Saturday,  as  we  do  on  a  Sunday.  Now,  I  did 
think  I  saw  some  signs  of  Peter's  privately  worshipping  yes- 
terday, while  vje  were  all  so  busy  at  our  garrison.  You  may 
have  observed  how  thoughtful  and  silent  the  chief  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  229 

"I  did  observe  it,"  said  the  bee-liunter,  "  but  must  own  I 
did  not  suspect  him  of  holding  meeting  for  any  purposes  within 
himself.  That  was  one  of  the  times  when  I  like  the  manners 
and  behavior  of  this  Injin  the  least.75 

"We  do  not  know — we  do  not  know — perhaps  his  spirit 
struggled  with  the  temptations  of  the  Evil  One.  To  me  he 
appeared  to  be  worshipping,  and  I  set  the  fact  down  as  a  proof 
that  the  red  men  keep  the  Jewish  Sabbath." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  the  Jews  keep  a  Sabbath  different  from 
our  own,  else  I  might  have  thought  the  same.  But  I  never 
saw  a  Jew,  to  my  knowledge.     Did  you,  Margery  f 

"  Not  to  know  him  for  one,"  answered  the  girl ;  and  true 
enough  was  the  remark  of  each.  Five-and-thirty  years  ago, 
America  was  singularly  not  only  a  Christian  but  a  Protestant 
nation.  Jews  certainly  did  exist  in  the  towns,  but  they  were 
so  blended  with  the  rest  of  the  population,  and  were  so  few  in 
number,  as  scarcely  to  attract  attention  to  them  as  a  sect.  As 
for  the  Romanists,  they  too  had  their  churches  and  their  dio- 
ceses ;  but  what  untravelled  American  had  then  ever  seen  a 
nun?  From  monks,  Heaven  be  praised,  we  are  yet  spared; 
and  this  is  said  without  any  prejudice  against  the  denomination 
to  which  they  usually  belong.  He  who  has  lived  much  in 
countries  where  that  sect  prevails,  if  a  man  of  a  particle  of  liber- 
ality, soon  learns  that  piety  and  reverence  for  G'od,  and  a  deep 
sense  of  all  the  Christian  obligations,  can  just  as  well,  nay  bet- 
ter, exist  in  a  state  of  society  where  a  profound  submission  to 
well-established  dogmas  is  to  be  found,  than  in  a  state  of  so- 
ciety where  there  is  so  much  political  freedom  as  to  induce  the 
veriest  pretenders  to  learning  to  imagine  that  each  man  is  a 
church  and  a  hierarchy  in  his  own  person  !  All  this  is  rapidly 
changing.  Romanists  abound,  and  spots  that  half  a  century 
since,  appeared  to  be  the  most  improbable  places  in  the  world 
to  admit  of  the  rites  of  the  priests  of  Rome,  now  hear  the  chants 
and  prayers  of  the  mass-books.  All  this  shows  a  tendency  to- 
ward that  great  commingling  of  believers,  which  is  doubtless  to 
precede  the  final  fusion  of  sects,  and  the  predicted  end. 


230  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

On  the  Monday  that  succeeded  the  Sabbath  mentioned,  the 
corporal  had  all  his  men  at  work,  early,  pinning  together  his 
palisades,  making  them  up  into  manageable  bents,  and  then 
setting  them  up  on  their  legs.  As  the  materials  were  all  there, 
and  quite  ready  to  be  put  together,  the  work  advanced  rapidly ; 
and  by  the  time  the  sun  drew  near  the  western  horizon  once 
more,  Castle  Meal  was  surrounded  by  its  bristling  defences, 
The  whole  was  erect  and  stay-lathed,  waiting  only  for  the  earth 
to  be  shovelled  back  into  the  trench,  and  to  be  pounded  well 
down.  As  it  was,  the  palisades  offered  a  great  increase  of 
security  to  those  in  the  chiente,  and  both  the  females  expressed 
their  obligations  to  their  friends  for  having  taken  this  important 
step  toward  protecting  them  from  the  enemy.  When  they 
retired  for  the  night,  every  thing  was  arranged,  so  that  the  dif- 
ferent members  of  the  party  might  know  where  to  assemble 
within  the  works.  Among  the  effects  of  Gershom,  were  a  conch 
and  a  horn  ;  the  latter  being  one  of  those  common  instruments 
of  tin,  which  are  so  much  used  in  and  about  American  farm- 
houses, to  call  the  laborers  from  the  field.  The  conch  was  given 
to  the  men,  that,  in  case  of  need,  they  might  sound  the  alarm 
from  without,  while  the  horn,  or  trumpet  of  tin,  was  suspended 
by  the  door  of  the  chiente,  in  order  that  the  females  might  have 
recourse  to  it,  at  need. 

About  midnight,  long  after  the  whole  party  had  retired  to 
rest,  and  when  the  stillness  of  the  hours  of  deepest  repose  reigned 
over  the  openings,  the  bee-hunter  was  awoke  from  his  sleep  by 
an  unwonted  call.  At  first,  he  could  scarce  believe  his  senses, 
50  plaintive,  and  yet  so  wild,  was  the  blast.  But  there  could 
be  no  mistake :  it  was  the  horn  from  the  chiente,  and,  in  a 
moment,  he  was  on  his  feet.  By  this  time,  the  corporal  was 
afoot,  and  presently  all  the  men  were  in  motion.  On  this  oc- 
casion, Gershom  manifested  a  readiness  and  spirit  that  spoke 
equally  well  for  his  heart  and  his  courage.  He  was  foremost 
in  rushing  to  the  assistance  of  his  wife  and  sister,  though  le 
Bourdon  was  very  close  on  his  heels. 

On  reaching  the  gate  of  the  palisade,  it  was  found  closed, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  231 

and  barred  within ;  nor  did  any  one  appear,  untiL  Dorothy  was 
summoned,  by  repeated  calls,  in  the  well-known  voice  of  her 
husband.  When,  the  two  females  came  out  of  the  chienie, 
great  was  their  wonder  and  alarm  !  No  horn  had  been  blown 
by  either  of  them,  and  there  the  instrument  itself  hung,  on  its 
peg,  as  quiet  and  mute  as  if  a  blast  had  never  been  blown  into 
it.  The  bee-hunter,  on  learning  this  extraordinary  fact,  looked 
around  him  anxiously,  in  order  to  ascertain  who  might  be  ab- 
sent. Every  man  was  present,  and  each  person  stood  by  his 
arms,  no  one  betraying  the  slightest  consciousness  of  knowing 
whence  the  unaccountable  summons  had  proceeded  ! 

"  This  has  been  done  by  you,  corporal,  in  order  to  bring 
us  together,  under  arms,  by  way  of  practice,"  le  Bourdon 
at  length  exclaimed. 

"  False  alarms  is  useful,  if  not  overdone;  especially  among 
raw  troops,"  answered  Flint,  coolly;  "but  I  have  given  none 
to-night.  I  will  own  I  did  intend  to  have  you  all  out  in  a  day 
or  two,  by  way  of  practice,  but  I  have  thought  it  useless  to 
attempt  too  much  at  once.  When  the  garrison  is  finished,  it 
will  be  time  enough  to  drill  the  men  to  the  alarm-posts." 

"What  is  your  opinion,  Peter?"  continued  le  Bourdon. 
"  You  understand  the  wilderness,  and  its  ways.  To  what  is 
this  extr'or'nary  call  owing  ?  Why  have  we  been  brought  here, 
at  this  hour?" 

"  Somebody  blow  horn,  most  likely,"  answered  Peter,  in  his 
unmoved,  philosophical  manner.  "  'Spose  don't  know;  den 
can't  tell.     Warrior  often  hear  'larm  on  war-path." 

"This  is  an  onaccountable  thing  !  If  I  ever  heard  a  horn,  I 
heard  one  to-night ;  yet  this  is  the  only  horn  we  have,  and  no 
one  has  touched  it !  It  was  not  the  conch  I  heard ;  there  is 
no  mistaking  the  difference  in  sound  between  a  shell  and  a 
horn  ;  and  there  is  the  conch,  hanging  at  Gershom's  neck,  just 
where  it  has  been  the  whole  night." 

"No  one  has  touched  the  conch — I  will  answer  for  that,11 
returned  Gershom,  laying  a  hand  on  the  shell,  as  if  to  make 
certain  all  was  right. 


232  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"This  is  most  extr'or'nary !  I  heard  tlic  horn,  if  ears  of 
mine  ever  heard  such  an  instrument !" 

Each  of  the  white  men  added  as  much,  for  every  one  of  them 
had  distinctly  heard  the  blast.  Still  neither  could  suggest  any 
probable  clue  to  the  mystery.  The  Indians  said  nothing  ;  but 
it  was  so  much  in  conformity  with  their  habits  for  red  men  to 
maintain  silence,  whenever  any  unusual  events  awakened  feel- 
ings in  others,  that  no  one  thought  their  deportment  out  of 
rule.  As  for  Peter,  a  statue  of  stone  could  scarcely  have  been 
colder  in  aspect  than  was  this  chief,  who  seemed  to  be  alto- 
gether raised  above  every  exhibition  of  human  feeling.  Even 
the  corporal  gaped,  though  much  excited,  for  he  had  been  sud- 
denly aroused  from  a  deep  sleep ;  but  Peter  was  as  much  supe- 
rior to  physical,  as  to  moral  impressions,  on  this  occasion.  He 
made  no  suggestion,  manifested  no  concern,  exhibited  no  curi- 
osity; and  when  the  men  withdrew,  again,  to  their  proper  hab- 
itation, he  walked  backed  with  them,  in  the  same  silence  and 
calm,  as  those  with  which  he  had  advanced.  Gershom,  how- 
ever, entered  within  the  palisade,  and  passed  the  remainder  of 
the  night  with  his  family. 

The  bee-hunter  and  the  Chippewa  accidentally  came  togeth- 
er, as  the  men  moved  slowly  toward  their  own  hut,  when  the 
following  short  dialogue  occurred  between  them. 

"Is  that  you,  Pigeonswing  ?"  exclaimed  le  Bourdon,  when 
he  found  his  friend  touching  an  elbow,  as  if  by  chance. 

"  Yes,  clis  me — want  better  friend,  eh  V 

"No;  I'm  well  satisfied  to  have  you  near  me,  in  an  alarm, 
Chippewa.  We've  stood  by  each  other  once,  in  troublesome 
times;  and  I  think  we  can  do  as  much,  ag'in." 

"  Yes  ;  stand  by  friend — dat  honor.  Nebber  turn  back  on 
friend ;  dat  my  way." 

"  Chippewa,  who  blew  the  blast  on  the  horn  ? — can  you  tell 
me  that  P 

"Why  don't  you  ask  Peter?  He  wise  chief — know  ebbery- 
t'ing.  Young  Injin  ask  ole  Injin  when  don't  know — why  not 
young  pale-face  ask  ole  man,  too,  eh  ?" 


TliH      OAK      OPENINGS.  203 

"  Pi£eonswin£,  if  truth  was  said,  I  believe  it  would  be  found 
that  you  suspect  Peter  of  having  a  hand  in  this  business  V  • 

This  speech  was  rather  too  idiomatic  for  the  comprehension 
of  the  Indian,  who  answered  according  to  his  own  particular 
view  of  the  matter. 

"  Don't  blow  horn  wid  hand,"  he  said — "  Injin  blow  wid 
mout',  just  like  pale-face." 

The  bee-hunter  did  not  reply  ;  but  his  companion's  remark 
had  a  tendency  to  revive  in  his  breast  certain  unpleasant  and 
distrustful  feelings  toward  the  mysterious  savage,  which  the  in- 
cidents and  communications  of  the  last  two  weeks  had  had  a 
strong  tendency  to  put  to  sleep. 


234  THE      OAK     O  P  E  N  I  N  (i  S  , 


CHAPTER  XV. 

K  None  knows  his  lineage,  age,  or  name ; 
His  looks  aro  like  the  snows  of  Caucasus ;  hiK  eyes 
Beam  with  the  wisdom  of  collected  ages. 
In  green,  unbroken  years  he  sees,  'tis  said, 
The  generations  pass  like  autumn  fruits, 
GarnerM,  consumed,  and  springing  fresh  to  life, 

Again  to  perish " 

IIilliioush. 

No  further  disturbance  took  place  that  night,  and  the  men 
set  about  filling  up  the  trenches  in  the  morning  steadily,  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  They  talked  a  little  of  the  extraordi- 
nary occurrence,  but  more  was  thought  than  said.  Le  Bourdon 
observed,  however,  that  Pigeonswing  went  earlier  than  usual  to 
the  hunt,  and  that  he  made  his  preparations  as  if  he  expected 
to  be  absent  more  than  the  customary  time. 

As  there  were  just  one  hundred  feet  of  ditch  to  fill  with 
dirt,  the  task  was  completed,  and  that  quite  thoroughly,  long 
ere  the  close  of  the  day.  The  pounding  down  of  the  earth 
consumed  more  time,  and  was  much  more  laborious  than  the 
mere  tumbling  of  the  earth  back  into  its  former  bed  ;  but  even 
this  portion  of  the  work  was  sufficiently  attended  to.  When 
all  was  done,  the  corporal  himself,  a  very  critical  sort  of  person 
in  what  he  called  "  garrisons,"  was  fain  to  allow  that  it  was  as 
"  pretty  a  piece  of  palisading"  as  he  had  ever  laid  eyes  on. 
The  "  garrison"  wanted  only  one  thing,  now,  to  render  it  a 
formidable  post — and  that  was  water — no  spring  or  well  exist- 
ing within  its  narrow  limits ;  however,  he  procured  two  or  three 
empty  barrels,  portions  of  le  Bourdon's  effects,  placed  them 
within  the  works,  and  had  them  filled  with  sweet  water.     By 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  235 

emptying  tliis  water  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and  refilling 
the  barrels,  it  was  thought  that  a  sufficient  provision  of  that 
great  necessary  would  be  made  and  kept  up.  Luckily  the  cor- 
poral's "  garrison"  did  not  drink,  and  the  want  was  so  much  the 
more  easily  supplied  for  the  moment. 

In  truth,  the  chiente  was  now  converted  into  a  place  of  some 
strength,  when  it  is  considered  that  artillery  had  never  yet  pen- 
etrated to  those  wilds.  More  than  half  the  savages  of  the  west 
fought  with  arrows  and  spears  in  that  day,  as  most  still  do  when 
the  great  prairies  are  reached.  A  rifleman  so  posted  as  to  have 
his  body  in  a  great  measure  covered  by  the  trunk  of  a  burr- 
oak  tree,  would  be  reasonably  secure  against  the  missives  of  an 
Indian,  and,  using  his  own  fatal  instrument  of  death,  under  a 
sense  of  personal  security,  he  would  become  a  formidable 
opponent  to  dislodge.  Nor  was  the  smallness  of  the  work  any 
objection  to  its  security.  A  single  well-armed  man  might  suf- 
fice to  defend  twenty-five  feet  of  palisades,  when  he  would  have 
been  insufficient  to  make  good  his  position  with  twice  the 
extent.  Then  le  Bourdon  had  cut  loops  on  three  sides  of  the 
hut  itself,  in  order  to  fire  at  the  bears,  and  sometimes  at  the 
deer,  which  had  often  approached  the  building  in  its  days  of 
solitude  and  quiet,  using  the  window  on  the  fourth  side  for  the 
same  purpose.  In  a  word,  a  sense  of  increased  security  was 
felt  by  the  whole  party  when  this  work  was  completed,  though 
one  arrangement  was  still  wanting  to  render  it  perfect.  By 
separating  the  real  garrison  from  the  nominal  garrison  during 
the  night,  there  always  existed  the  danger  of  surprise  ;  and 
the  corporal,  now  that  his  fortifications  were  finished,  soon  de- 
vised a  plan  to  obviate  this  last-named  difficulty.  His  expedi- 
ent was  very  simple,  and  had  somewhat  of  barrack-life  about  it. 

Corporal  Flint  raised  a  low  platform  along  one  side  of  tho 
chiente ,  by  placing  there  logs  of  pine  that  were  squared  on  one 
of  their  sides.  Above,  at  the  height  of  a  man's  head,  a  roof 
of  bark  was  reared  on  poles,  and  prairie  grass,  aided  by  skins, 
formed  very  comfortable  barrack-beds  beneath.  As  the  men 
were  expected  to  lie  with  their  heads  to  the  wall  of  the  hut, 


236  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

and  their  feet  outward,  there  was  ample  space  for  twice  their  num- 
ber. Thither,  then,  were  all  the  homely  provisions  for  the  night 
transported  ;  and  when  Margery  closed  the  door  of  the  chientc, 
after  returning  the  bee-hunter's  cordial  good  night,  it  was  with 
no  further  apprehension  for  the  winding  of  the  mysterious  horn. 

The  first  night  that  succeeded  the  new  arrangement  passed 
without  any  disturbance.  Pigeonswing  did  not  return,  as 
usual,  at  sunset,  and  a  little  uneasiness  was  felt  on  his  account ; 
but,  as  he  made  his  appearance  quite  early  in  the  morning,  this 
source  of  concern  ceased.  Nor  did  the  Chippewa  come  in 
empty-handed ;  he  had  killed  not  only  a  buck,  but  he  had 
knocked  over  a  bear  in  his  rambles,  besides  taking  a  mess  of 
famously  fine  trout  from  a  brawling  stream  at  no  great  distance. 
The  fish  were  eaten  for  breakfast,  and  immediately  after  that 
meal  was  ended,  a  party  started  to  bring  in  the  venison  and 
bear's  meat,  under  the  lead  of  the  Chippewa.  This  party  con- 
sisted of  the  corporal,  Gershom,  the  bee-hunter,  and  Pigeons- 
wing  himself.  When  it  left  the  garrison,  the  females  were  spin- 
ning beneath  the  shade  of  the  oaks,  and  the  missionary  was 
discoursing  with  Peter  on  the  subject  of  the  customs  of  the  lat- 
ter's  people,  in  the  hope  of  deriving  facts  to  illustrate  his  theory 
of  the  ten  lost  tribes. 

The  buck  was  found,  suspended  from  a  tree  as  usual,  at  the 
distance  of  only  a  mile  from  the  "  garrison,"  as  the  corporal 
now  uniformly  called  "  Castle  Meal."  Here  the  party  divided; 
Flint  and  Gershom  shouldering  the  venison,  and  Pigeonswing 
leading  the  bee-hunter  still  further  from  home  in  quest  of 
Bruin.  As  the  two  last  moved  through  the  park-like  trees  and 
glades  of  the  openings,  a  dialogue  occurred  that  it  may  help 
along  the  incidents  of  our  legend  to  record. 

"  You  made  a  long  hunt  of  it  yesterday,  Pigeonswing,"  ob- 
served le  Bourdon,  as  soon  as  he  found  himself  alone  with  his 
old  ally.  "Why  did'nt  you  come  in  at  night  accordin'  to 
custom." 

"Too  much  see — too  much  do.  Dat  good  reason,  eh?"  was 
the  answer. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  237 

"  Your  do  was  to  kill  one  buck  and  one  bear,  no  such  great 
matter  after  all ;  and  your  see  could  not  much  alter  the  case, 
since  seeing  a  whole  regiment  of  the  creatures  couldn't  frighten 
a  man  like  you." 

"  No  said  frighten,"  returned  the  Chippewa  sharply.  "  Squaw 
frighten,  not  warrior." 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,  Pigeonswing,  for  supposing  such  a  thing 
possible  ;  though  you  will  remember  I  did  not  think  it  very 
likely  to  be  the  fact  with  you.  I  will  give  you  one  piece  of 
advice,  however,  Chippewa,  which  is  this — do  not  be  ready  to 
jump  down  every  man's  throat  who  may  happen  to  think  it 
possible  that  you  might  be  a  little  skeary  when  enemies  are 
plenty.  It  is  the  man  who  feels  himself  strongest  in  such  mat- 
ters, that  is  the  least  likely  to  take  offence  at  any  loose  remark 
of  this  nature.  Your  fiery  devils  go  off  sometimes  at  half-cock, 
because  they  have  a  secret  whisperer  within  that  tells  'em  the 
charge  is  true.     That's  all  I've  to  say  just  now,  Chippewa." 

"  Don't  know — don't  hear  (understand)  what  you  say.  No 
frighten,  tell  you — dat  'nufF." 

"  No  need  of  being  like  a  steel-trap,  Injin — I  understands,  if 
you  don't.  Now,  I  own  I  am  skeary  when  there  is  reason  for 
it,  and  all  I  can  say  in  my  own  favor  is,  that  I  don't  begin  to 
run  before  the  danger  is  in  sight."  Here  the  bee-hunter  paused, 
and  walked  some  distance  in  silence.  When  he  did  resume 
the  discourse,  it  was  to  add — "  Though  I  must  confess  a  man 
may  hear  danger  as  well  as  see  it.  That  horn  has  troubled  me 
more  than  I  should  like  to  own  to  Dorothy  and  pretty  Blos- 
som." 

"  Bess  alway  let  squaw  know  most  den,  sometime  she  help 
as  well  as  warrior.  Bourdon,  you  right — ought  to  feel  afeari 
of  dat  horn." 

"  Ha  !  Do  you  then  know  any  thing  about  it,  Pigeonswing; 
that  you  give  this  opinion  ?" 

"  Hear  him  juss  like  rest.     Got  ear,  why  not  hear,  eh  ?" 

"  Aye,  but  your  manner  of  speaking  just  now  said  more  than 
this.     Perhaps  you  blew  the  horn  yourself,  Chippewa  ?" 


238  THE      OAK     OPENINGS, 

"  Didn't  touch  him,"  returned  the  Indian  coldly.  "'Want 
to  sleep — dont  want  to  blow  trumpet." 

"  "Whom  do  you  then  suspect  ?     Is  it  Peter  ?" 

"No — don't  touch  him  nudder.  Lay  down  by  me  dere 
when  horn  blow." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  this  from  you,  Pigeonswing,  for,  to  own 
the  truth,  I've  had  my  misgivings  about  that  onaccountable  In- 
jin,  and  I  did  think  he  might  have  been  up,  and  have  got  hold 
of  the  horn." 

"  No  touch  him  at  all.  Fast  'sleep  when  horn  blow.  What 
make  Peter  come  in  openin',  eh  ?     You  know  ?" 

"  I  know  no  more  than  he  has  himself  told  me.  By  his  ac- 
count there  is  to  be  a  great  council  of  red  men  on  the  prairie, 
a  few  miles  from  this  spot ;  he  is  waiting  for  the  appointed  day 
to  come,  in  order  to  go  and  make  one  of  the  chiefs  that  will  be 
there.     Is  not  this  true,  Chippewa  V 

"  Yes,  dat  true^ — what  dat  council  smoke  round  fire  for,  eh  ? 
You  know  ?" 

"  No,  I  do  not,  and  would  be  right  glad  to  have  you  tell  me, 
Pigeonswing.  Perhaps  the  tribes,  mean  to  have  a  meetin'  to 
determine  in  their  own  minds  which  side  they  ought  to  take  in 
this  war." 

"  Not  dat  nudder.  Know  well 'nough  which  side  take.  Got 
message  and  wampum  from  Canada  fadder,  and  most  all  Injin 
up  this  away  look  for  Yankee  scalp.     Not  dat  nudder." 

"  Then  I  have  no  notion  what  is  at  the  bottom  of  this  coun- 
cil. Peter  seems  to  expect  great  things  from  it ;  that  I  can 
see  by  his  way  of  talking  and  looking  whenever  he  speaks  of 
it." 

"  Peter  want  to  see  him  very  much.  Smoke  at  great  many 
sich  council  fire." 

"Do  you  intend  to  be  present  at  this  council  on  Prairie 
Round?"  asked  the  bee-hunter,  innocently  enough.  Pigeons- 
wing turned  to  look  at  his  companion,  in  a  way  that  seemed  to 
inquire  how  far  he  was  really  the  dupe  of  the  mysterious  In- 
dian's wiles.     Then,  suddenly  aware  of  the  importance  of  not 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  239 

betraying  all  he  himself  knew,  until  the  proper  moment  had 
arrived,  he  bent  his  eyes  forward  again,  continuing  onward  and 
answering  somewhat  evasively. 

"  Don't  know,"  he  replied.  "  Hunter  nebber  tell.  Chief 
want  venison,  and  he  must  hunt.  Just  like  squaw  in  pale-face 
wigwam — work,  work — sweep,  sweep — cook,  cook — never 
know  when  work  done.     So  hunter  hunt — hunt — hunt." 

"  And  for  that  matter,  Chippewa,  just  like  squaw  in  the  red 
mans  village,  too.  Hoe,  hoe — dig,  dig — carry,  carry — so  that 
she  never  knows  when  she  may  sit  down  to  rest." 

"  Yes,"  returned  Pigeonswing,  coolly  nodding  his  assent  as 
he  moved  steadily  forward.  "  Dat  do  right  way  wid  squaw — 
juss  what  he  good  for — juss  what  he  made  for — work  for  warrior 
and  cook  his  dinner.     Pale-face  make  too  much  of  squaw." 

"Not  accordin'  to  your  account  of  their  manner  of  getting 
along,  Injin.  If  the  work  of  our  squaws  is  never  done,  we  can 
hardly  make  too  much  of  them.  Where  does  Peter  keep  his 
squaw  ?" 

"  Don't  know,"  answered  the  Chippewa.  "  Nobody  know. 
Don't  know  where  his  tribe  even." 

"  This  is  very  extraor'nary,  considering  the  influence  the  man 
seems  to  enjoy.  How  is  it  that  he  has  so  completely  got  the 
ears  of  all  the  red  men,  far  and  near  ?" 

To  this  question  Pigeonswing  gave  no  answer.  His  oavii 
mind  was  so  far  under  Peter  s  control  that  he  did  not  choose  to 
tell  more  than  might  be  prudent.  He  was  fully  aware  of  the 
mysterious  chiefs  principal  design,  that  of  destroying  the  white 
race  altogether,  and  of  restoring  the  red  men  to  their  ancient 
rights,  but  several  reasons  prevented  his  entering  into  the  plot 
heart  and  hand.  In  the  first  place,  he  was  friendly  to  the 
"Yankees,"  from  whom  he,  personally,  had  received  many 
favors  and  no  wrongs ;  then,  the  tribe,  or  half-tribe,  to  which  he 
belonged  had  been  employed,  more  or  less,  by  the  agents  of 
the  American  government  as  runners,  and  in  other  capacities, 
ever  since  the  peace  of  '83 ;  and,  lastly,  he  himself  had  been 
left  much  in  different  garrisons^  where  he  had  not  only  acquired 


240  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Iiis  English,  but  a  habit  of  thinking  of  the  Americans  as  his 
friends.  It  might  also  be  added  that  Pigeonswing,  though  far 
less  gifted  by  nature  than  the  mysterious  Peter,  had  formed  a 
truer  estimate  of  the  power  of  the  "  Yankees,''  and  did  not  be- 
lieve they  were  to  be  annihilated  so  easily.  How  it  happened 
that  this  Indian  had  come  to  a  conclusion  so  much  safer  than  that 
of  Peter's,  a  man  of  twice  his  capacity,  is  more  than  we  can 
explain ;  though  it  was  probably  owing  to  the  accidental  circum- 
stances of  his  more  intimate  associations  with  the  whites. 

The  bee-hunter  was  by  nature  a  man  of  observation,  a  faculty 
that  his  habits  had  both  increased  and  stimulated.  Had  it  not 
been  for  the  manner  in  which  he  was  submitting  to  the  influence 
of  Margery,  he  would  long  before  have  seen  that  in  the  deport- 
ment of  the  Chippewa  which  would  have  awakened  his  dis- 
trust ;  not  that  Margery  in  any  way  endeavored  to  blind  him 
to  what  was  passing  before  his  face,  but  that  he  was  fast  getting 
to  have  eyes  only  for  her.  By  this  time  she  filled  not  only  his 
waking,  but  many  of  his  sleeping  thoughts  ;  and  when  she  was 
not  actually  before  him,  charming  him  with  her  beauty,  enliven- 
ing him  with  her  artless  gayety,  and  inspiring  him  with  her 
innocent  humor,  he  fancied  she  was  there,  imagination,  perhaps, 
heightening  all  those  advantages  which  we  have  enumerated. 
"When  a  man  is  thoroughly  in  love,  he  is  quite  apt  to  be  fit  for 
very  little  else  but  to  urge  his  suit.  Such,  in  a  certain  way, 
proved  to  be  the  case  with  le  Bourdon,  who  allowed  things  to 
pass  unheeded  directly  before  his  eyes  that  previously  to  hia 
acquaintance  with  Margery  would  not  only  have  been  observed, 
but  which  would  have  most  probably  led  to  some  practical 
results.  The  conduct  of  Pigeonswing  was  among  the  circum- 
stances that  were  thus  overlooked  by  our  hero.  In  point  of 
fact,  Peter  was  slowly  but  surely  working  on  the  mind  of  the 
Chippewa,  changing  all  his  opinions  radically,  and  teaching 
him  to  regard  every  pale-face  as  an  enemy.  The  task,  in  this 
instance,  was  not  easy;  for  Pigeonswing,  in  addition  to  his 
general  propensities  in  favor  of  the  "  Yankees,"  the  result  of 
mere  accident,  had  conceived  a  pal  personal  regard  for  le  Bour- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  241 

don,  and  was  very  slow  to  admit  any  views  that  tended  to  his 
injury.  The  struggle  in  the  mind  of  the  young  warrior  was 
severe  ;  and  twenty  times  was  he  on  the  point  of  warning  his 
friend  of  the  danger  which  impended  over  the  whole  party, 
when  a  sense  of  good  faith  toward  Peter,  who  held  his  word 
to  the  contrary,  prevented  his  so  doing.  This  conflict  of  feel- 
ing was  now  constantly  active  in  the  breast  of  the  young  sav- 
age. 

Pigeonswing  had  another  source  of  uneasiness,  to  which  his 
companions  were  entirely  strangers.  While  hunting,  his  keen 
eyes  had  detected  the  presence  of  warriors  in  the  openings.  It 
is  true  he  had  not  seen  even  one,  but  he  knew  that  the  signs  he 
had  discovered  could  not  deceive  him.  Not  only  were  warriors 
at  hand,  but  warriors  in  considerable  numbers.  He  had  found 
one  deserted  lair,  from  which  its  late  occupants  could  not  have 
departed  many  hours  when  it  came  under  his  own  notice.  By 
means  of  that  attentive  sagacity  which  forms  no  small  portion 
of  the  education  of  an  American  Indian,  Pigeonswing  was  ena- 
bled to  ascertain  that  this  party,  of  itself,  numbered  seventeen, 
all  of  whom  were  men  and  warriors.  The  first  fact  was  easily 
enough  to  be  seen,  perhaps,  there  being  just  seventeen  different 
impressions  left  in  the  grass ;  but  that  all  these  persons  were 
armed  men,  was  learned  by  Pigeonswing  through  evidence  that 
would  have  been  overlooked  by  most  persons.  By  the  length 
of  the  lairs  he  was  satisfied  none  but  men  of  full  stature  had 
been  there ;  and  he  even  examined  sufficiently  close  to  make 
out  the  proofs  that  all  but  four  of  these  men  carried  fire-arms. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  those  who  do  not  know  how  keen  the 
senses  become  when  whetted  by  the  apprehensions  and  wants 
of  savage  life,  Pigeonswing  was  enabled  to  discover  signs  which 
showed  that  the  excepted  were  provided  with  bows  and  arrows, 
and  spears. 

When  the  bee-hunter  and  his  companion  came  in  sight  of  the 
carcass  of  the  bear,  which  they  did  shortly  after  the  last  remark 
which  we  have  given  in  the  dialogue  recorded,  the  former  ex- 
claimed with  a  little  surprise  — 
11 


242  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"How's  this,  Chippewa!  You  have  killed  this  beast  with 
your  bow  !     Did  you  not  hunt  with  the  rifle  yesterday  ?" 

"Bad  fire  rifle  off  now-a-day,"  answered  Pigeonswing,  sen- 
tcntiously.      "Make  noise — noise  no  good." 

"Noise!"  repeated  the  perfectly  unsuspecting  bee-hunter. 
1 '  Little  good  or  little  harm  can  noise  do  in  these  openings, 
where  there  is  neither  mountain  to  give  back  an  echo,  or  ear 
to  be  startled.  The  crack  of  my  rifle  has  rung  through  these 
groves  a  hundred  times  and  no  harm  come  of  it." 

"Forget  war-time  now.  Bess  nebber  fire,  less  can't  help 
him.     Pottawattamie  hear  great  way  off." 

"Oh!  That's  it,  is  it!  You're  afraid  our  old  friends  the 
Pottawattamies  may  find  us  out,  and  come  to  thank  us  for  all 
that  happened  down  at  the  river's  mouth.  "Well,"  continued  le 
Bourdon,  laughing,  "  if  they  wish  another  whiskey-spring,  I 
have  a  small  jug  left,  safely  hid  against  a  wet  day  ;  a  very  few 
drops  will  answer  to  make  a  tolerable  spring.  You  redskins 
don't  know  every  thing,  Pigeonswing,  though  you  are  so  keen 
and  quick-witted  on  a  trail." 

"Bess  not  tell  Pottawattamie  any  more  'bout  springs,"  an- 
swered the  Chippewa,  gravely  ;  for  by  this  time  he  regarded 
the  state  of  things  in  the  openings  to  be  so  serious  as  to  feel 
little  disposition  to  mirth.  "  "Why  you  don't  go  home,  eh  ? 
Why  don't  med' cine-man  go  home,  too  ?  Bess  for  pale-face  to 
be  wid  pale-face  when  red  man  go  on  war-path.  Color  bess 
keep  wid  color." 

"  I  see  you  want  to  be  rid  of  us,  Pigeonswing  ;  but  the  par- 
son has  no  thought  of  quitting  this  part  of  the  world  until  he  has 
convinced  all  the  redskins  that  they  are  Jews." 

"What  he  mean,  eh?"  demanded  the  Chippewa,  with 
more  curiosity  than  it  was  usual  for  an  Indian  warrior  to 
betray.  "What  sort  of  a  man  Jew,  eh?  Why  call  red  man 
Jew  ?" 

"I  know  very  little  more  about  it  than  you  do  yourself, 
Pigeonswing ;  but  such  as  my  poor  knowledge  is,  you're  wel- 
come to  it.     You've  heard  of  the  Bible,  I  dare  say  ?" 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  243 

"  Sartain — med'cine-man  read  him  Sunday.  Good  book  to 
read,  some  t'ink." 

"  Yes  it's  all  that,  and  a  great  companion  have  I  found  my 
Bible,  when  I've  been  alone  with  the  bees  out  here  in  the  open- 
ings. It  tells  us  of  our  God,  Chippewa ;  and  teaches  us  how 
we  are  to  please  him,  and  how  we  may  offend.  It's  a  great  loss 
to  you  redskins  not  to  have  such  a  book  among  you." 

"  Med'cine-man  bring  him — don't  do  much  good,  yet,  some 
day,  p'r'aps,  do  better.     How  dat  make  red  man  Jew  ?" 

"Why  this  is  a  new  idea  to  me,  though  Parson  Amen 
seems  fully  possessed  with  it.  I  suppose  you  know  what  a  Jew 
is?" 

"  Don't  know  anyt'ing  'bout  him.     Sort  o'  nigger,  eh?" 

"  No,  no,  Pigeonswing,  you're  wide  of  the  mark  this  time. 
But,  that  we  may  understand  each  other,  we'll  begin  at  the  be- 
ginning like,  which  will  let  you  into  the  whole  history  of  the 
pale-face  religion.  As  we've  had  a  smart  walk,  however,  and 
here  is  the  bear's  meat  safe  and  sound,  just  as  you  left  it,  let 
us  sit  down  a  bit  on  this  trunk  of  a  tree,  while  I  give  you 
our  tradition  from  beginning  to  end,  as  it  might  be.  In  the 
first  place,  Chippewa,  the  earth  was  made  without  creatures 
of  any  sort  to  live  on  it — not  so  much  as  a  squirrel  or  a  wood- 
chuck." 

"Poor  country  to  hunt  in,  dat,"  observed  the  Chippewa, 
quietly,  while  le  Bourdon  was  wiping  his  forehead  after  remov- 
ing his  cap.     "  Ojebways  stay  in  it  very  little  time." 

"This,  according  to  our  belief,  was  before  any  Ojebway 
lived.  At  length,  God  made  a  man,  out  of  clay,  and  fashioned 
him,  as  we  see  men  fashioned  and  living  all  around  us." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  Chippewa,  nodding  his  head  in  assent. 
"  Den  Manitou  put  plenty  blood  in  him — dat  make  red  warrior. 
Bible  good  book,  if  tell  dat  tradition." 

"  The  Bible  says  nothing  about  any  colors ;  but  we  suppose 
the  man  first  made  to  have  been  a  pale-face.  At  any  rate, 
the  pale-faces  have  got  possession  of  the  best  parts  of  the 
earth,  as  it  might  be,  and  I  think  they  mean  to  keep  them, 


244  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

First  come,  first  served,  you  know.  The  pale-faces  are  many, 
and  are  strong." 

"  Stop  !"  exclaimed  Pigeonswing,  in  a  way  that  was  very  un- 
usual for  an  Indian  to  interrupt  another  when  speaking;  "  want 
to  ask  question — how  many  pale-face  you  fink  is  dere  ?  Ebler 
count  him  ?" 

" Count  him! — Why,  Chippewa,  you  might  as  well  cjunt 
the  bees,  as  they  buzz  around  a  fallen  tree.  You  saw  me  cut 
down  the  tree  I  last  discovered,  and  saw  the  movement  of  the 
little  animals,  and  may  judge  what  success  tongue  or  eye 
would  have  in  counting  them ;  now,  just  as  true  would  it  be 
to  suppose  that  any  man  could  count  the  pale-faces  on  this 
earth." 

" Don't  want  count  all"  answered  Pigeonswing.  "Want  to 
know  how  many  dis  side  of  great  salt  lake." 

"  That's  another  matter,  and  more  easily  come  at.  I  under- 
stand you  now,  Chippewa  ;  you  wish  to  know  how  many  of  us 
there  are  in  the  country  we  call  America !" 

"  Juss  so,"  returned  Pigeonswing,  nodding  in  assent.  "  Dai; 
juss  it — juss  what  Injin  want  to  know." 

"  Well,  we  do  have  a  count  of  our  own  people,  from  time 
to  time,  and  I  suppose  come  about  as  near  to  the  truth  as  men 
can  come  in  such  a  matter.  There  must  be  about  eight  mil  - 
lions  of  us  altogether ;  that  is,  old  and  young,  big  and  little, 
male  and  female." 

"  How  many  warrior  you  got  ? — don't  want  hear  about  squaw 
and  pappoose." 

"  No,  I  see  you're  warlike  this  morning,  and  want  to  see  how 
we  are  likely  to  come  out  of  this  struggle  with  your  great  Can  « 
ada  father.  Counting  all  round,  I  think  we  might  muster  hard 
on  upon  a  million  of  fighting  men — good,  bad,  and  indifferent; 
that  is  to  say,  there  must  be  a  million  of  us  of  proper  age  to  go 
into  the  wars." 

Pigeonswing  made  no  answer  for  near  a  minute.  Both  ho 
and  the  bee-hunter  had  come  to  a  halt  alongside  of  the  bear's 
meat,  and  the  latter  was  beginning  to  prepare  his  own  portion 


THE      OAK      OPBBINU8.  245 

of  the  load  for  transportation,  while  his  companion  stood  thus 
motionless,  lost  in  thought.  Suddenly,  Pigeonswing  recovered 
his  recollection,  and  resumed  the  conversation,  by  saying — 

"  What  million  mean,  Bourdon  ?  How  many  time  so'ger  at 
Detroit,  and  so'ger  on  lakes  V1 

"A  million  is  more  than  the  leaves  on  all  the  trees  in  these 
openings" — le  Bourdon's  notions  were  a  little  exaggerated, 
perhaps,  but  this  was  what  he  said — "yes,  more  than  the 
leaves  on  all  these  oaks,  far  and  near.  A  million  is  a  countless 
number,  and  I  suppose  would  make  a  row  of  men  as  long  as 
from  this  spot  to  the  shores  of  the  great  salt  lake,  if  not 
further." 

It  is  probable  that  the  bee-hunter  himself  had  no  very  clear 
notion  of  the  distance  of  which  he  spoke,  or  of  the  number  of 
men  it  would  actually  require  to  fill  the  space  he  mentioned ; 
but  his  answer  sufficed  deeply  to  impress  the  imagination  ot 
the  Indian,  who  now  helped  le  Bourdon  to  secure  his  load  to 
his  back,  in  silence,  receiving  the  same  service  in  return.  "When 
the  meat  of  the  bear  was  securely  bestowed,  each  resumed  his 
rifle,  and  the  friends  commenced  their  march  in,  toward  the 
chiente;  conversing,  as  they  went,  on  the  matter  which  still 
occupied  their  minds.  When  the  bee-hunter  again  took  up  the 
history  of  the  creation,  it  was  to  speak  of  our  common  mother. 

"  You  will  remember,  Chippewa,"  he  said,  "  thaj;  I  told  you 
nothing  on  the  subject  of  any  woman.  What  I  have  told  you, 
as  yet,  consarned  only  the  first  man,  who  was  made  out  of  clay, 
into  whom  God  breathed  the  breath  of  life." 

"  Dat  good — make  warrior  fuss.  Juss  right.  When  breat' 
in  him,  fit  to  take  scalp,  eh  ?' 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  whom  he  was  to  scalp, 
Beeing  that  he  was  quite  alone  in  the  world,  until  it  pleased  his 
Creator  to  give  him  a  woman  for  a  companion." 

"Tell  'bout  dat,"  returned  Pigeonswing,  with  interest — 
"  tell  how  he  got  squaw." 

"  Accordin5  to  the  Bible,  God  caused  this  man  to  fall  into  a 
deep  sleep,  when  he  took  one  of  his  ribs,  and  out  of  that,  he 


246  THE     OAK      OPENINGS. 

made  a  squaw  for  him.  Then  lie  put  them  both  to  live  togeth- 
er, in  a  most  beautiful  garden,  in  which  all  things  excellent 
and  pleasant  was  to  be  found — some  such  place  as  these  open- 
ings, I  reckon. " 

"Any  bee  derel"  asked  the  Indian,  quite  innocently. 
"  Plenty  honey,  eh  ?" 

"  That  will  I  answer  for !  It  could  hardly  be  otherwise, 
when  it  was  the  intention  to  make  the  first  man  and  first  woman 
perfectly  happy.  I  dare  say,  Chippewa,  if  the  truth  was  known, 
it  would  be  found  that  bees  was  a  sipping  at  every  flower  in 
that  most  delightful  garden !" 

"Why  pale-face  quit  dat  garden,  eh?  Why  come  here  to 
drive,  poor  Injin  'way  from  game  ?  Tell  me  dat,  Bourdon,  if 
he  can  ?  Why  pale-face  ever  leave  dat  garden,  when  he  so 
han'some,  eh  ?" 

"God  turned  him  out  of  it,  Chippewa — yes,  he  was  turned 
out  of  it,  with  shame  on  his  face,  for  having  disobeyed  the 
commandments  of  his  Creator.  Having  left  the  garden,  his 
children  have  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  earth." 

"  So  come  here  to  drive  off  Injin !  Well,  dat  'e  way  wid 
pale-face !  Did  ever  hear  of  red  man  comin'  to  drive  off  pale- 
face?" 

"  I  have  heard  of  your  red  warriors  often  coming  to  take  our 
scalps,  Chippewa.  More  or  less  of  this  has  been  done  every 
year,  since  our  people  have  landed  in  America.  More  than 
that  they  have  not  done,  for  we  are  too  many  to  be  driven  very 
far  in,  by  a  few  scattering  tribes  of  Injins." 

"  T'ink,  den,  more  pale-face  dan  Injin,  eh?"  asked  the  Chip- 
pewa, with  an  interest  so  manifest,  that  he  actually  stopped  in 
his  semi-trot,  in  order  to  put  the  question — "More  pale-face 
warrior  dan  red  men  V 

"More!  Aye,  a  thousand  times  more,  Chippewa.  Where 
you  could  show  one  warrior,  we  could  show  a  thousand !" 

Now,  this  was  not  strictly  true,  perhaps,  but  it  answered  the 
purpose  of  deeply  impressing  the  Chippewa  with  the  uselessness 
of  Peter's  plans,  and  sustained  as  it  was  by  his  early  predilcc- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  •     247 

tions,  it  served  to  keep  Mm  on  the  right  side,  in  the  crisis  which 
was  approaching.  The  discourse  continued,  much  in  the  same 
strain,  until  the  men  got  in  with  their  bear's  meat,  having  been 
preceded  some  time  by  the  others,  with  the  venison. 

It  is  a  little  singular  that  neither  the  questions,  nor  the  man- 
ner of  Pigeonswing,  awakened  any  distrust  in  the  bee-hunter. 
So  far  from  this,  the  latter  regarded  all  that  had  passed  as  per- 
fectly natural,  and  as  likely  to  arise  in  conversation,  in  the 
way  of  pure  speculation,  as  in  any  other  manner.  Pigeonswing 
intended  to  be  guarded  in  what  he  said  and  did,  for,  as  yet,  he 
had  not  made  up  his  mind  which  side  he  would  really  espouse, 
in  the  event  of  the  great  project  coming  to  a  head.  He  had 
the  desire,  natural  to  a  red  man,  to  avenge  the  wrongs  com- 
mitted against  his  race ;  but  this  desire  existed  in  a  form  a  good 
deal  mitigated  by  his  intercourse  with  the  "  Yankees,''  and  his 
regard  for  individuals.  It  had,  nevertheless,  strangely  occurred 
to  the  savage  reasoning  of  this  young  warrior,  that  possibly, 
some  arrangement  might  be  effected,  by  means  of  which  he 
should  take  scalps  from  the  Canadians,  while  Peter  and  his 
other  followers  were  working  their  will  on  the  Americans.  In 
this  confused  condition,  was  the  mind  of  the  Chippewa,  when 
he  and  his  companion  threw  down  their  loads,  near  the  place 
where,  the  provision  of  game  was  usually  kept.  This  was  be- 
neath the  tree,  near  the  spring  and  the  cook-house,  in  order 
that  no  inconvenience  should  arise  from  its  proximity  to  the 
place  where  the  party  dwelt  and  slept.  For  a  siege,  should 
there  be  occasion  to  shut  themselves  up  within  the  "  garrison," 
the  men  depended  on  the  pickled  pork,  and  a  quantity  of  dried 
meat;  of  the  latter  of  which  the  missionary  had  brought  a 
considerable  supply  in  his  own  canoe.  Among  these  stores, 
were  a  few  dozen  of  buffaloes',  or  bisons'  tongues,  a  delicacy 
that  would  honor  the  best  table  in  the  civilized  world,  though 
then  so  common  among  the  western  hunters,  as  scarce  to  le 
deemed  food  as  good  as  the  common  salted  pork  and  beef  of 
the  settlements. 

The  evening  that  followed  proved  to  be  one  of  singular  soft 


248  THE      OAK     OPENINGS, 

ness  and  sweetness.  The  sun  went  down  in  a  cloudless  sky, 
and  gentle  airs  from  the  south-west  fanned  the  warm  cheeks  of 
Margery,  as  she  sat,  resting  from  the  labors  of  the  day,  with 
le  Bourdon  at  her  side,  speaking  of  the  pleasures  of  a  residence 
in  such  a  spot.  The  youth  was  eloquent,  for  he  felt  all  that  he 
said,  and  the  maiden  was  pleased.  The  young  man  could 
expatiate  on  bees  in  a  way  to  arrest  any  one's  attention ;  and 
Margery  delighted  to  hear  him  relate  his  adventures  with  these 
little  creatures ;  his  successes,  losses,  and  journeys. 

"But  are  you  not  often  lonely,  Bourdon,  living  here  in  the 
openings,  whole  summers  at  a  time,  without  a  living  soul  to 
speak  to  ?"  demanded  Margery,  coloring  to  the  eyes,  the  instant 
the  question  was  asked,  lest  it  should  subject  her  to  an  imputa- 
tion against  which  her  modesty  revolted,  that  or  wishing  to 
draw  the  discourse  to  a  discussion  on  the  means  of  preventing 
this  solitude  in  future. 

"  I  have  not  been,  hitherto,"  answered  le  Bourdon,  so  frank- 
ly as  at  once  to  quiet  his  companion's  sensitiveness,  "though  I 
will  not  answer  for  the  future.  Now  that  I  have  so  many  with 
me,  we  may  make  some  of  them  necessary.  Mind — I  say  some, 
not  all  of  my  present  guests.  If  I  could  have  my  pick,  pretty 
Margery,  the  present  company  would  give  me  all  I  can  desire, 
and  more  too.  I  should  not  think  of  going  to  Detroit  for  that 
companion,  since  she  is  to  be  found  so  much  nearer." 

Margery  blushed,  and  looked  down — then  she  raised  her 
eyes,  smiled,  and  seemed  grateful  as  well  as  pleased.  By  this 
time  she  had  become  accustomed  to  such  remarks,  and  she  had 
no  difficulty  in  discovering  her  lover's  wishes,  though  he  had 
never  been  more  explicit.  The  reflections  natural  to  her  situa 
tion  threw  a  shade  of  gentle  seriousness  over  her  countenance, 
rendering  her  more  charming  than  ever,  and  causing  the  youth 
to  plunge  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  meshes  that  female  in- 
fluence had  cast  around  him.  In  all  this,  however,  one  of  the 
parties  was  governed  by  a  manly  sincerity,  and  the  other  by 
girlish  artlessness.  Diffidence,  one  of  the  most  certain  atten- 
dants of  a  pure  passion,  alone  kept  le  Bourdon  from  asking 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  249 

Margery  to  become  his  wife ;  while  Margery  herself  sometimes 
doubted  whether  it  were  possible  that  any  reputable  man  could 
wish  to  connect  himself  and  his  fortunes  with  a  family  that  had 
sunk  as  low  as  persons  could  well  sink,  in  this  country,  and  not 
lose  their  characters  altogether.  With  these  doubts  and  dis- 
trusts, so  naturally  affecting  the  mind  of  each,  these  young  peo- 
ple were  rapidly  becoming  more  and  more  enamored ;  the 
bee-hunter  betraying  his  passion  in  the  close,  absorbed  atten- 
tions that  more  properly  belong  to  his  sex,  while  that  of  Mar- 
gery was  to  be  seen  in  sudden  blushes,  the  thoughtful  brow, 
the  timid  glance,  and  a  cast  of  tenderness  that  came  over  her 
whole  manner,  and,  as  it  might  be,  her  whole  being. 

While  our  young  folk  were  thus  employed,  now  conversing 
cheerfully,  now  appearing  abstracted  and  lost  in  thought,  though 
seated  side  by  side,  le  Bourdon  happened  to  look  behind  him, 
and  saw  that  Peter  was  regarding  them  with  one  of  those  in- 
tense, but  mysterious  expressions  of  the  countenance,  that  had, 
now,  more  than  once  attracted  his  attention ;  giving  reason, 
each  time,  for  a  feeling  in  which  doubt,  curiosity  and  appre- 
hension were  singularly  mingled,  even  in  himself. 

At  the  customary  hour,  which  was  always  early,  in  that  party 
of  simple  habits,  the  whole  family  sought  its  rest ;  the  females 
withdrew  within  the  chiente,  while  the  males  arranged  their 
skins  without.  Ever  since  the  erection  of  the  palisades,  le 
Bourdon  had  been  in  the  habit  of  calling  Hive  within  the  de- 
fences, leaving  him  at  liberty  to  roam  about  inside,  at  pleasure. 
Previously  to  this  new  arrangement,  the  dog  had  been  shut  up 
in  his  kennel,  in  order  to  prevent  his  getting  on  the  track  of  a 
deer,  or  in  close  combat  with  some  bear,  when  his  master  was 
not  present  to  profit  by  his  efforts.  As  the  palisades  were  too 
high  for  his  leap,  this  putting  him  at  liberty  within  them,  an- 
swered the  double  purpose  of  giving  the  mastiff  room  for  health- 
ful exercise,  and  of  possessing  a  most  vigilant  sentinel  against 
dangers  of  all  sorts.  On  the  present  occasion,  however,  the 
dog  was  missing,  and  after  calling  and  whistling  for  him  some 
time,  the  bee-hunter  was  fain  to  bar  the  gate,  and  leave  him 


250  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

on  the  outside.  This  done,  he  sought  his  skin,  and  was  soon 
asleep. 

It  was  midnight,  when  the  bee-hunter  felt  a  hand  laid  on  his 
own  arm.  It  was  the  corporal,  making  this  movement,  in  order 
to  awake  him.  In  an  instant  the  young  man  was  on  his  feet, 
with  his  rifle  in  his  hand. 

"Did  you  not  hear  it,  Bourdon  V  demanded  the  corporal,  in 
a  tone  so  low  as  scarce  to  exceed  a  whisper. 

"  Hear  what !    I've  been  sleeping,  sound  as  a  bee  in  winter. " 

"  The  horn  ! — The  horn  has  been  blown  twice,  and,  I  think, 
we  shall  soon  hear  it  again.' ' 

"  The  horn  was  hanging  at  the  door  of  the  chiente,  and 
the  conch,  too.  It  will  be  easy  to  see  if  they  are  in  their 
places." 

It  was  only  necessary  to  walk  around  the  walls  of  the  hut,  to 
its  opposite  side,  in  order  to  ascertain  this  fact.  Le  Bourdon 
did  so,  accompanied  by  the  corporal,  and  just  as  each  laid  a 
hand  on  the  instruments,  which  were  suspended  in  their  proper 
places,  a  heavy  rush  was  made  against  the  gate,  as  if  to  try  its 
fastenings.  These  pushes  were  repeated  several  times,  with  a 
violence  that  menaced  the  bars.  Of  course,  the  two  men  step- 
ped to  the  spot,  a  distance  of  only  a  few  paces,  the  gateway  of 
the  palisades  and  the  door  of  the  chiente  being  contiguous  to 
each  other,  and  immediately  ascertained  that  it  was  the  mastiff, 
endeavoring  to  force  his  way  in.  The  bee-hunter  admitted  the 
dog,  which  had  been  trained  to  suppress  his  bark,  though  this 
animal  was  too  brave  and  large  to  throw  away  his  breath, 
when  he  had  better  rely  on  his  force.  Powerful  animals,  of 
this  race,  are  seldom  noisy,  it  being  the  province  of  the  cur, 
both  among  dogs  and  men,  to  be  blustering  and  spitting  out 
their  Venom,  at  all  hours  and  seasons.  Hive,  however,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  natural  disposition,  had  been  taught,  from  the  time 
he  was  a  pup,  not  to  betray  his  presence  unnecessarily  by  a 
bark  ;  and  it  was  seldom  that  his  deep  throat  opened  beneath 
the  arches  of  the  oaks.  When  it  did,  it  told  like  the  roaring 
of  the  lion  in  the  desert. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


^51 


Hive  was  no  sooner  admitted  to  the  "  garrison,"  than  he 
manifested  just  as  strong  a  desire  to  get  out,  as  a  moment  be- 
fore he  had  manifested  to  get  in.  This,  le  Bourdon  well  knew, 
indicated  the  presence  of  some  thing,  or  creature,  that  did  not 
properly  belong  to  the  vicinity.  After  consulting  with  the  cor* 
poral,  Pigeonswing  was  called ;  and  leaving  him  as  a  sentinel  at 
the  gate,  the  two  others  made  a  sortie.  The  corporal  was  as 
brave  as  a  lion,  and  loved  all  such  movements,  though  he  fully 
anticipated  encountering  savages,  while  his  companion  expected 
an  interview  with  bears. 

As  this  movement  was  made  at  the  invitation  of  the  dog,  it 
was  judiciously  determined  to  let  him  act  as  pioneer,  on  the 
advance.  Previously  to  quitting  the  defences,  however,  the 
two  adventurers  looked  closely  to  their  arms.  Each  examined 
the  priming,  saw  that  his  horn  and  pouch  were  accessible,  and 
loosened  his  knife  in  its  sheath.  The  corporal,  moreover,  fixed 
his  "baggonet,"  as  he  called  the  formidable,  glittering  instru- 
ment that  usually  embellished  the  end  of  his  musket — a  musket 
being  the  weapon  he  chose  to  carry,  while  the  bee-hunter  him- 
self was  armed  with  a  long  western  rifle. 


^iM^iS^  ^  -fi 


252  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"The  raptures  of  a  conqueror's  mood 
Rushed  burning  through  his  frame ; 
The  depths  of  that  green  solitude 

Its  torrents  could  not  tame, 
Though  stillness  lay,  with  eve's  last  smile, 
Round  those  far  fountains  of  the  Nile." 

Mes.  IIemans. 

When  tlie  bee-lmnter  and  Corporal  Flint  thus  went  fortli  in 
midnight,  from  the  "garrison"  of  Castle  Meal  {chateau  aw 
miel),  as  the  latter  would  have  expressed  it,  it  was  with  no 
great  apprehension  of  meeting  any  other  than  a  four-footed 
enemy,  notwithstanding  the  blast  of  the  horn  the  worthy  cor- 
poral supposed  he  had  heard.  The  movements  of  the  dog 
seemed  to  announce  such  a  result  rather  than  any  other,  for 
Hive  was  taken  along  as  a  sort  of  guide.  Le  Bourdon,  how- 
ever, did  not  permit  his  mastiff  to  run  off  wide,  but,  having 
the  animal  at  perfect  command,  it  was  kept  close  to  his  own 
person. 

The  two  men  first  moved  toward  the  grove  of  the  Kitchen,' 
much  to  Hive's  discontent.  The  dog  several  times  halted,  and 
he  whined,  and  growled,  and  otherwise  manifested  his  great 
dislike  to  proceed  in  that  direction.  At  length  so  decided  did 
his  resistance  become,  that  his  master  said  to  his  companion: 

"  It  seems  to  me  best,  corporal,  to  let  the  mastiff  lead  us. 
[  have  never  yet  seen  him  so  set  on  not  going  in  one  way,  and 
on  going  in  another.  Hive  has  a  capital  nose,  and  we  may 
trust  him." 

"  Forward,"  returned  the  corporal,  wheeling  short  in  the 
direction  of  the  dog;   "one  thing  should  be  understood,  how- 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  253 

ever,  Bourdon,  which  is  this — you  must  act  as  light  troops  in 
this  sortie,  and  I  as  the  main  body.  If  we  come  on  the  inimy, 
it  will  be  your  duty  to  skrimmage  in  front  as  long  as  you  can, 
and  then  fall  back  on  your  resarves.  I  shall  depend  chiefly 
on  the  baggonet,  which  is  the  best  tool  to  put  an  Injin  up  with; 
and  as  he  falls  back,  before  my  charge,  we  must  keep  him 
under  as  warm  a  fire  as  possible.  Having  no  cavalry,  the  dog 
might  be  made  useful  in  movements  to  the  front  and  on  our 
flanks." 

"Pooh,  pooh,  corporal,  you're  almost  as  much  set  in  the 
notions  of  your  trade  as  Parson  Amen  is  set  in  his  idees  about 
the  lost  tribes.  In  my  opinion  there'll  be  more  tribes  found  in 
these  openings  before  the  summer  is  over  than  we  shall  wish  to 
meet.  Let  us  follow  the  dog,  and  see  what  will  turn  up." 
Hive  was  followed,  and  he  took  a  direction  that  led  to  a  distant 
point  in  the  openings,  where,  not  only  the  trees  were  much 
thicker  than  common,  but  where  a  small  tributary  of  the  Kala- 
mazoo ran  through  a  ravine,  from  the  higher  lands  adjacent 
into  the  main  artery  of  all  the  neighboring  watercourses.  The 
bee-hunter  knew  the  spot  well,  having  often  drank  at  the  rivu- 
let, and  cooled  his  brow  in  the  close  shades  of  the  ravine,  when 
heated  by  exertions  in  the  more  open  grounds.  In  short,  the 
spot  was  one  of  the  most  eligible  for  concealment,  coolness,  and 
pure  water,  within  several  miles  of  Castle  Meal.  The  trees 
formed  a  spacious  grove  around  it,  and,  by  means  of  the  banks, 
their  summits  and  leaves  answered  the  purpose  of  a  perfect 
screen  to  those  who  might  descend  into  the  ravine,  or,  it  would 
be  better  to  say,  to  the  bottom.  Le  Bourdon  was  no  sooner 
satisfied  that  his  mastiff  was  proceeding  toward  the  great  spring 
which  formed  the  rivulet  at  the  head  «f  the  ravine  mentioned, 
than  he  suspected  Indians  might  be  there.  He  had  seen  signs 
about  the  spot,  which  wore  an  appearance  of  its  having  been 
used  as  a  place  of  encampment — or  for  "  camping  out,"  as  it  is 
termed  in  the  language  of  the  west — and,  coupling  the  sound 
of  the  horn  with  the  dog's  movements,  his  quick  apprehension 
seized  on  the  facts  as  affording  reasonable  grounds  of  distrust. 


254  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Consequently  lie  resorted  to  great  caution,  as  he  and  the  cor- 
poral entered  the  wood  which  surrounded  the  spring,  and  the 
small  oval  bit  of  bottom  that  lay  spread  before  it,  like  a  little 
lawn.  Hive  was  kept  close  at  his  master's  side,  though  he 
manifested  a  marked  impatience  to  advance.  "  Now,  corporal," 
said  the  bee-hunter  in  a  low  tone,  "  I  think  we  have  lined  some 
savages  to  their  holes.  We  will  go  round  the  basin  and  descend 
to  the  bottom,  in  a  close  wood  which  grows  there.  Did  you 
see  that?" 

"I  suppose  I  did,"  answered  the  corporal,  who  was  as  firm 
as  a  rock — "  You  meant  to  ask  me  if  I  saw  fire  ?" 

"  I  did.  The  red  men  have  lighted  their  council  fire  in  this 
spot,  and  have  met  to  talk  around  it.  Well,  let'em  hearken 
to  each  other's  thoughts,  if  they  will;  we  shall  be  neither  the 
better  nor  the  worse  for  it." 

"  I  don't  know  that.  When  the  commander-in-chief  calls 
together  his  principal  officers,  something  usually  comes  of  it. 
Who  knows  but  this  very  council  is  called  in  order  to  take 
opinions  on  the  subject  of  besieging  or  of  storming  our  new 
garrison  ?  Prudent  soldiers  should  always  be  ready  for  the 
worst." 

"I  have  no  fear,  so  long  as  Peter  is  with  us.  That  chief  is 
listened  to  by  every  redskin  ;  and  while  we  have  him  among 
us  there  will  be  little  to  care  for.  But  we  are  getting  near  to 
the  bottom,  and  must  work  our  way  through  these  bushes  with 
as  little  noise  as  possible.     I  will  keep  the  dog  quiet." 

The  manner  in  which  that  sagacious  animal  now  behaved  was 
truly  wonderful.  Hive  appeared  to  be  quite  as  much  aware  of 
the  necessity  of  extreme  caution  as  either  of  the  men,  and  did 
not  once  attempt  to  precede  his  master  his  own  length.  On 
one  or  two  occasions  he  actually  discovered  the  best  passages, 
and  led  his  companions  through  them  with  something  like  the 
intelligence  of  a  human  being.  Neither  growl  nor  bark  escaped 
him ;  on  the  contrary,  even  the  hacking  breathing  of  an  impa- 
tient dog  was  suppressed,  precisely  as  if  the  animal  knew  how 
near  he  was  getting  to  the  most  watchful  ears  in  the  world. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  255 

After  using  the  greatest  care,  the  bee-hunter  and  the  corporal 
got  just  such  a  station  as  they  desired.  It  was  within  a  very 
few  feet  of  the  edge  of  the  cover,  but  perfectly  concealed,  while 
small  openings  enabled  them  to  see  all  that  was  passing  in  their 
front.  A  fallen  tree,  a  relic  of  someAvhat  rare  occurrence  in 
the  openings  of  Michigan,  even  furnished  them  with  a  seat, 
while  it  rendered  their  position  less  exposed.  Hive  placed  him- 
self at  his  master's  side,  apparently  trusting  to  other  senses  than 
that  of  sight  for  his  information,  since  he  could  sec  nothing  of 
what  was  going  on  in  front. 

As  soon  as  the  two  men  had  taken  their  stations,  and  began 
to  look  about  them,  a.  feeling  of  awe  mingled  with  their  curi- 
osity. Truly,  the  scene  was  one  so  very  remarkable  and  im- 
posing, that  it  might  have  filled  more  intellectual  and  better 
fortified  minds  with  some  such  sensation.  The  fire  was  by  no 
means  large,  nor  was  it  particularly  bright ;  but  sufficient  to 
cast  a  dim  light  on  the  objects  within  reach  of  its  rays.  It  was 
in  the  precise  centre  of  a  bit  of  bottom  land  of  about  half  an 
acre  in  extent,  which  was  so  formed  and  surrounded,  as  to  have 
something  of  the  appearance  of  the  arena  of  a  large  amphi- 
theatre. There  was  one  break  in  the  encircling  rise  of  ground, 
it  is  true,  and  that  was  at  a  spot  directly  opposite  the  station 
of  le  Bourdon  and  his  companion,  where  the  rill  which  flowed 
from  the  spring  found  a  passage  out  toward  the  more  open 
ground.  Branches  shaded  most  of  the  mound,  but  the  arena 
itself  was  totally  free  from  all  vegetation  but  that  which  covered 
the  dense  and  beautiful  sward  with  which  it  was  carpeted.  Such 
is  a  brief  description  of  the  natural  accessories  of  this  remark- 
able scene. 

But  it  was  from  the  human  actors,  and  their  aspects,  occupa- 
tions, movements,  dress,  and  appearance  generally,  that  the 
awe  which  came  over  both  the  bee-hunter  and  the  corporal,  had 
its  origin.  Of  these,  near  fifty  were  present,  offering  a  startling 
force  by  their  numbers  alone.  Each  man  was  a  warrior,  and 
each  warrior  was  in  his  paint.  These  were  facts  that  the  famil- 
iarity of  the  two  white  men  with  Indian  customs  rendered  onlv 


256  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

too  certain.  What  was  still  more  striking  was  the  fact  that  all 
present  appeared  to  be  chiefs ;  a  circumstance  which  went  to 
show  that  an  imposing  body  of  red  men  was  most  likely  some- 
where in  the  openings,  and  that  too  at  no  great  distance.  It 
was  while  observing  and  reflecting  on  all  these  things,  a  sus- 
picion first  crossed  the  mind  of  le  Bourdon  that  this  great 
council  was  about  to  be  held,  at  that  midnight  hour,  and  so 
near  his  own  abode,  for  the  purpose  of  accommodating  Peter, 
whose  appearance  in  the  dark  crowd,  from  that  instant,  he 
began  to  expect. 

The  Indians  already  present  were  not  seated.  They  stood  m 
groups  conversing,  or  stalked  across  the  arena,  resembling  so 
many  dark  and  stately  spectres.  No  sound  was  heard  among 
them,  a  circumstance  that  added  largely  to  the  wild  and  super- 
natural aspect  of  the  scene.  If  any  spoke,  it  was  in  a  tone  so 
low  and  gentle,  as  to  carry  the  sound  no  further  than  to  the 
ears  that  were  listening ;  two  never  spoke  at  the  same  time  and 
in  the  same  group,  while  the  moccasin  permitted  no  footfall  to 
be  audible.  Nothing  could  have  been  more  unearthly  than 
the  picture  presented  in  that  little,  wood-circled  arena,  of 
velvet-like  grass  and  rural  beauty.  The  erect,  stalking  forms, 
half  naked,  if  not  even  more ;  the  swarthy  skins ;  the  faces 
fierce  in  the  savage  conceits  which  were  intended  to  strike  terror 
into  the  bosoms  of  enemies,  and  the  glittering  eyes  that  fairly 
sparkled  in  their  midst,  all  contributed  to  the  character  of  the 
scene,  which  le  Bourdon  rightly  enough  imagined  was  alto- 
gether much  the  most  remarkable  of  any  he  had  ever  been  in 
the  way  of  witnessing. 

Our  two  spectators  might  have  been  seated  on  the  fallen 
tree  half  an  hour,  all  of  which  time  they  had  been  gazing  at 
what  was  passing  before  their  eyes ;  with  positively  not  a  human 
sound  to  relieve  the  unearthly  nature  of  the  picture.  No  one 
spoke,  coughed,  laughed,  or  exclaimed,  in  all  that  period. 
Suddenly,  every  chief  stood  still,  and  all  the  faces  turned  in 
the  same  direction.  It  was  toward  the  little  gateway  of  the 
rill,  which  being  the  side  of  the  arena  most  remote  from  the 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  257 

bee-hunter  and  the  corporal,  lay  nearly  in  darkness  as  respected 
them.  With  the  red  men  it  must  have  been  different,  for  they 
all  appeared  to  be  in  intent  expectation  of  some  one  from  that 
quarter.  Nor  did  they  have  to  wait  long ;  for,  in  half  a  minute, 
two  forms  came  out  of  the  obscurity,  advancing  with  a  digni- 
fied and  deliberate  tread  to  the  centre  of  the  arena.  As  these 
new-comers  got  more  within  the  influence  of  the  flickering 
light,  le  Bourdon  saw  that  they  were  Peter  and  Parson  Amen. 
The  first  led,  with  a  slow,  imposing  manner,  while  the  other 
followed,  not  a  little  bewildered  with  what  he  saw.  It  may  be 
as  well  to  explain  here,  that  the  Indian  was  coming  alone  to 
this  place  of  meeting,  when  he  encountered  the  missionary 
wandering  among  the  oaks,  looking  for  le  Bourdon  and  the 
corporal,  and,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  throw  off  this  unex- 
pected companion,  he  quietly  invited  him  to  be  of  his  own 
party. 

It  was  evident  to  le  Bourdon,  at  a  glance,  that  Peter  was* 
expected,  though  it  was  not  quite  so  clear  that  such  was  the 
fact  as  regarded  his  companion.  Still,  respect  for  the  great 
chief  prevented  any  manifestations  of  surprise  or  discontent, 
and  the  medicine-man  of  the  pale-faces  was  received  with  as 
grave  a  courtesy  as  if  he  had  been  an  invited  guest.  Just  as 
the  two  had  entered  the  dark  circle  that  formed  around  them, 
a  young  chief  threw  some  dry  sticks  on  the  fire,  which,  blazing 
upward,  cast  a  stronger  light  on  a  row  of  as  terrifically  looking 
countenances  as  ever  gleamed  on  human  forms.  This  sudden 
illumination,  with  its  accompanying  accessories,  had  the  effect 
to  startle  all  the  white  spectators,  though  Peter  looked  on  the 
whole  with  a  calm  like  that  of  the  leafless  tree,  when  the  cold 
is  at  its  height,  and  the  currents  of  the  wintry  air  are  death-like 
still.  Nothing  appeared  to  move  him;  whether  expected  or 
not ;  though  use  had  probably  accustomed  his  eye  to  all  the 
aspects  in  which  savage  ingenuity  could  offer  savage  forms. 
He  even  smiled,  as  he.  made  a  gesture  of  recognition,  which 
seemed  to  salute  the  whole  group.  It  was  just  then,  when  the 
fire  burned  brightest,  and  when  the  chiefs  pressed  most  within 


258  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

its  influence,  that  le  Bourdon  perceived  that  his  old  acquain- 
tances, the  head-men  of  the  Pottawattamies,  were  present, 
among  the  other  chiefs  so  strangely  and  portentously  assembled 
in  these  grounds,  which  he  had  so  long  possessed  almost  entire- 
ly to  himself. 

A  few  of  the  oldest  of  the  chiefs  now  approached  Peter,  and 
a  low  conversation  took  place  between  them.  What  was  said 
did  not  reach  le  Bourdon,  of  course  ;  for  it  was  not  even  heard 
in  the  dark  circle  of  savages  who  surrounded  the  fire.  The 
effect  of  this  secret  dialogue,  however,  was  to  cause  all  the 
chiefs  to  be  seated,  each  taking  his  place  on  the  grass ;  the 
whole  preserving  the  original  circle  around  the  fire.  Fortu- 
nately, for  the  wishes  of  le  Bourdon,  Peter  and  his  companions 
took  their  stations  directly  opposite  to  his  own  seat,  thus  ena- 
bling him  to  watch  every  lineament  of  that  remarkable  chief's 
still  more  remarkable  countenance.  Unlike  each  and  all  of 
the  red  men  around  him,  the  face  of  Peter  was  not  painted, 
except  by  the  tints  imparted  by  nature  ;  which,  in  his  case,  was 
that  of  copper  a  little  tarnished,  or  rendered  dull  by  the  action 
of  the  atmosphere.  The  bee-hunter  could  distinctly  trace  every 
lineament ;  nor  was  the  dark  roving  eye  beyond  the  reach  of 
his  own  vision.  Some  attention  was  given  to  the  fire,  too,  one 
of  the  younger  chiefs  occasionally  throwing  on  it  a  few  dried 
sticks,  more  to  keep  alive  the  flame,  and  to  renew  the  light, 
than  from  any  need  of  warmth.  One  other  purpose,  however, 
this  fire  did  answer ;  that  of  enabling  the  young  chiefs  to  light 
the  pipes  that  were  now  prepared  ;  it  seldom  occurring  that 
the  chiefs  thus  assembled  without  smoking  around  their  council- 
fire. 

As  this  smoking  was  just  then  more  a  matter  of  ceremony 
than  for  any  other  purpose,  a  whiff  or  two  suffices  for  each 
chief ;  the  smoker  passing  the  pipe  to  his  neighbor  as  soon  as 
he  had  inhaled  a  few  puffs.  The  Indians  are  models  of  pro- 
priety, in  their  happiest  moods,  and  every  one  in  that  dark  and 
menacing  circle  was  permitted  to  have  his  turn  with  the  pipe, 
before  any  other  step  was  taken.     There  were  but  two  pipes 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  250 

lighted,  and  mouths  being  numerous,  some  time  was  necessary 
in  order  to  complete  this  ceremony.  Still,  no  sign  of  impa- 
tience was  seen,  the  lowest  chief  having  as  much  respect  paid 
to  his  feelings,  as  related  to  his  attention,  as  the  highest.  At 
length  the  pipes  completed  their  circuit,  even  Parson  Amen 
getting,  and  using,  his  turn,  when  a  dead  pause  succeeded. 
The  silence  resembled  that  of  a  Quaker  meeting,  and  was  broken 
only  by  the  rising  of  one  of  the  principal  chiefs,  evidently 
about  to  speak.  The  language  of  the  great  Ojebway  nation 
was  used  on  this  occasion,  most  of  the  chiefs  present  belonging 
to  some  one  of  the  tribes  of  that  stock,  though  several  spoke 
other  tongues,  English  and  French  included.  Of  the  three 
whites  present,  Parson  Amen  alone  fully  comprehended  all  that 
was  said,  he  having  qualified  himself  in  this  respect,  to  preach 
to  the  tribes  of  that  people ;  though  le  Bourdon  understood 
nearly  all,  and  even  the  corporal  comprehended  a  good  deal. 
The  name  of  the  chief  who  first  spoke  at  this  secret  meeting, 
which  was  afterward  known  among  the  Ojebways  by  the  name 
of  the  "  Council  of  the  Bottom  Land,  near  to  the  spring  of 
gushing  water,"  was  Bear's  Meat,  an  appellation  that  might 
denote  a  distinguished  hunter,  rather  than  an  orator  of  much 
renown. 

"  Brothers  of  the  many  tribes  of  the  Ojebways,"  commenced 
this  personage,  "the  Great  Spirit  has  permitted  us  to  meet  in 
council.  The  Manitou  of  our  fathers  is  now  among  these  oaks, 
listening  to  our  words,  and  looking  in  at  our  hearts.  Wise  In- 
dians will  be  careful  what  they  say  in  such  a  presence,  and 
careful  of  what  they  think.  All  should  be  said  and  thought  for 
the  best.  We  are  a  scattered  nation,  and  the  time  is  come 
when  we  must  stop  in  our  tracks,  or  travel  beyond  the  sound 
of  each  other's  cries.  If  we  travel  beyond  the  hearing  of  our 
people,  soon  will  our  children  learn  tongues  that  Ojebway  ears 
cannot  understand.  The  mother  talks  to  her  child,  and  the 
child  learns  her  words.  But  no  child  can  hear  across  a  great 
lake.  Once  we  lived  near  the  rising  sun.  Where  are  we  now  ? 
Some  of  our  young  men  say  they  have  seen  the  sun  go  down 


260  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

in  the  lakes  of  sweet  water.  There  can  be  no  hunting-grounds 
beyond  that  spot ;  and  if  we  would  live,  we  must  stand  still  in 
our  tracks.     How  to  do  this,  we  have  met  to  consider. 

"  Brothers,  many  wise  chiefs  and  braves  are  seated  at  this 
council-fire.  It  is  pleasant  to  my  eyes  to  look  upon  them. 
Ottawas,  Chippeways,  Pottawattamies,  Menominees,  Hurons 
and  all.  Our  father  at  Quebec  has  dug  up  the  hatchet  against 
the  Yankees.  The  war-path  is  open  between  Detroit  and  all 
the  villages  of  the  red  men.  The  prophets  are  speaking  to 
our  people,  and  we  listen.  One  is  here ;  he  is  about  to  speak. 
The  council  will  have  but  a  single  sense,  which  will  be  that  of 
hearing." 

Thus  concluding,  Bear's  Meat  took  his  seat,  in  the  same 
composed  and  dignified  manner  as  that  in  which  he  had  risen, 
and  deep  silence  succeeded.  So  profound  was  the  stillness, 
that,  taken  in  connection  with  the  dark  lineaments,  the  lustrous 
eye  balls  that  threw  back  the  light  of  the  fire,  the  terrific  paint 
and  the  armed  hands  of  every  warrior  present,  the  picture  might 
be  described  as  imposing  to  a  degree  that  is  seldom  seen  in  the 
assemblies  of  the  civilized.  In  the  midst  of  this  general  but 
portentous  calm,  Peter  arose.  The  breathing  of  the  circle  grew 
deeper,  so  much  so  as  to  be  audible,  the  only  manner  in  which 
the  intensity  of  the  common  expectation  betrayed  itself.  Peter 
was  an  experienced  orator,  and  knew  how  to  turn  every  minu- 
tiae of  his  art  to  good  account.  His  every  movement  was  de- 
liberate, his  attitude  highly  dignified — even  his  eye  seemed 
eloquent. 

Oratory  !  what  a  power  art  thou,  wielded,  as  is  so  often  the 
case,  as  much  for  evil  as  for  good.  The  very  reasoning  that 
might  appear  to  be  obtuse,  or  which  would  be  overlooked  en- 
tirely when  written  and  published,  issuing  from  the  mouth, 
aided  by  the  feelings  of  sympathy  and  the  impulses  of  the 
masses,  seems  to  partake  of  the  wisdom  of  divinity.  Thus  is  it, 
also,  with  the  passions,  the  sense  of  wrong,  the  appeals  to  ven- 
geance, and  all  the  other  avenues  of  human  emotion.  Let 
them  be  addressed  to  the  cold  eye  of  reason  and  judgment,  in 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  261 

the  form  of  written  statements,  and  the  mind  pauses  to  weigh 
the  force  of  arguments,  the  justice  of  the  appeals,  the  truth  of 
facts :  but  let  them  come  upon  the  ear  aided  by  thy  art,  with  a 
power  concentrated  by  sympathy,  and  the  torrent  is  often  less 
destructive  in  its  course,  than  that  of  the  whirlwind  that  thou 
canst  awaken ! 

"Chiefs  of  the  great  Ojebway  nation,  I  wish  you  well,"  said 
Peter,  stretching  out  his  arms  toward  the  circle,  as  if  desirous 
of  embracing  all  present.  "The  Manitou  has  been  good  to 
me.  He  has  cleared  a  path  to  this  spring,  and  to  this  council- 
fire.  I  see  around  it  the  faces  of  many  friends.  Why  should 
we  not  all  be  friendly  ?  Why  should  a  red  man  ever  strike  a 
blow  against  a  red  man  ?  The  Great  Spirit  made  us  of  the  same 
color,  and  placed  us  on  the  same  hunting-grounds.  He  meant 
that  we  should  hunt  in  company  ;  not  take  each  others'  scalps. 
How  many  warriors  have  fallen  in  our  family  wars?  Who 
has  counted  them  ?  Who  can  say  ?  Perhaps  enough,  had 
they  not  been  killed,  to  drive  the  pale-faces  into  the  sea !" 

Here  Peter,  who  as  yet  had  spoken  only  in  a  low  and  barely 
audible  voice,  suddenly  paused,  in  order  to  allow  the  idea  he 
had  just  thrown  out  to  work  on  the  minds  of  his  listeners. 
That  it  was  producing  its  effect  was  apparent  by  the  manner  in 
which  one  stern  face  turned  toward  another,  and  eye  seemed 
to  search  in  eye  some  response  to  a  query  that  the  mind  sug- 
gested, though  no  utterance  was  given  to  it  with  the  tongue. 
As  soon,  however,  as  the  orator  thought  time  sufficient  to  im- 
press that  thought  on  the  memories  of  the  listeners  had  elapsed, 
he  resumed,  suffering  his  voice  gradually  to  increase  in  volume, 
as  he  warmed  with  his  subject. 

"Yes,"  he  continued,  "the  Manitou  has  been  very  kind. 
Who  is  the  Manitou  ?  Has  any  Indian  ever  seen  Him  ?  Every 
Indian  has  seen  him.  JSTo  one  can  look  on  the  hunting-grounds, 
on  the  lakes,  on  the  prairies,  on  the  trees,  on  the  game,  with- 
out seeing  his  hand.  His  face  is  to  be  seen  in  the  sun  at  noon- 
clay  ;  his  eyes  in  the  stars  at  night.  Has  any  Indian  ever 
heard  the  Manitou?      When  it  thunders,  he  speaks.     When 


262  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

the  crash  is  loudest,  then  he  scolds.  Some  Indian  has  done 
wrong.  Perhaps  one  red  man  has  taken  another  red  man's 
scalp !" 

Another  pause  succeeded,  briefer,  and  less  imposing  than  the 
first,  but  one  that  sufficed  to  impress  on  the  listeners  anew,  the 
great  evil  of  an  Indian's  raising  his  hand  against  an  Indian. 

"  Yes,  there  is  no  one  so  deaf  as  not  to  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Great  Spirit  when  he  is  angry,"  resumed  Peter.  "  Ten  thou- 
sands of  buffalo  bulls,  roaring  together,  do  not  make  as  much 
noise  as  his  whisper.  Spread  the  prairies,  and  the  openings, 
and  the  lakes,  before  him,  and  he  can  be  heard  in  all,  and  on 
all,  at  the  same  time. 

"Here  is  a  medicine-priest  of  the  pale-faces;  he  tells  me 
that  the  voice  of  the  Manitou  reaches  into  the  largest  villages 
of  his  people,  beneath  the  rising  sun,  when  it  is  heard  by  the 
red  man  across  the  great  lakes,  and  near  the  rocks  of  the  set- 
ting sun.  It  is  a  loud  voice  ;  woe  to  him  who  does  not  remem- 
ber it.  It  speaks  to  all  colors,  and  to  every  people,  and  tribe, 
and  nation. 

"  Brothers,  that  is  a  lying  tradition  which  says,  there  is  one 
Manitou  for  a  Sac,  and  another  for  the  Ojebway — one  Manitou 
for  the  red  man,  and  another  for  the  pale-face.  In  this,  we  are 
alike.  One  Great  Spirit  made  all ;  governs  all ;  rewards  all : 
punishes  all.  He  may  keep  the  happy  hunting-grounds  of  an 
Indian  separate  from  the  white  man's  heaven,  for  he  knows  that 
their  customs  are  different,  and  what  would  please  a  warrior 
would  displease  a  trader;  and  what  would  please  a  trader 
would  displease  a  warrior.  He  has  thought  of  these  things, 
and  has  made  several  places  for  the  spirits  of  the  good,  let  their 
colors  be  what  they  may.  Is  it  the  same  with  the  places  of 
the  spirits  of  the  bad  ?  I  think  not.  To  me  it  would  seem 
best  to  let  them  go  together,  that  they  may  torment  one  an- 
other. A  wicked  Indian  and  a  wicked  pale-face  would  make  a 
bad  neighborhood.  I  think  the  Manitou  will  let  them  go  to- 
gether. 

"Brothers,  if  the  Manitou  keeps  the  good  Indian  and  tho 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  263 

good  pale-face  apart  in  another  world,  what  has  brought  them 
together  in  this  ?  If  he  brings  the  bad  spirits  of  all  colors  to 
gether  in  another  world,  why  should  they  come  together  here, 
before  their  time  ?  A  place  for  wicked  spirits  should  not  be 
found  on  earth.     This  is  wrong  ;  it  must  be  looked  into. 

"  Brothers,  I  have  now  done ;  this  pale-face  wishes  to  speak, 
and  I  have  said  that  you  would  hear  his  words.  "When  he  has 
spoken  his  mind,  I  may  have  more  to  tell  you.  Now,  listen  to 
the  stranger.  He  is  a  medicine-priest  of  the  white  men,  and 
says  he  has  a  great  secret  to  tell  our  people — when  he  has  told 
it,  I  have  another  for  their  ears  too.  Mine  must  be  spoken 
when  there  is  no  one  near  but  the  children  of  red  clay." 

Having  thus  opened  the  way  for  the  missionary,  Peter  cour- 
teously took  his  seat,  producing  a  little  disappointment  among 
his  own.  admirers,  though  he  awakened  a  lively  curiosity  to 
know  what  this  medicine-priest  might  have  to  say  on  an  occa- 
sion so  portentous.  The  Indians  in  the  regions  of  the  great 
lakes  had  long  been  accustomed  to  missionaries,  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  even  some  of  their  own  traditions,  so  far  as  they  re- 
lated to  religious  topics,  had  been  insensibly  colored  by,  if  not 
absolutely  derived  from,  men  of  this  character;  for  the  first 
whites  who  are  known  to  have  penetrated  into  that  portion  of 
the  continent,  were  Jesuits,  who  carried  the  cross  as  their  stand- 
ard and  emblem  of  peace.  Blessed  emblem !  that  any  should 
so  confound  their  own  names  and  denunciatory  practices  with 
the  revealed  truth,  as  to  imagine  that  a  standard  so  appropriate 
should  ever  be  out  of  season  and  place,  when  it  is  proper  for 
man  to  use  aught,  at  all,  that  is  addressed  to  his  senses,  in  the 
way  of  symbols,  rites  and  ceremonies  !  To  the  Jesuits  suc- 
ceeded the  less  ceremonious  and  less  imposing  priesthood  of 
America,  as  America  peculiarily  was  in  the  first  years  that  fol- 
lowed the  Bevolution.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the 
spirit  of  God,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  accompanied  all ;  for 
all  were  self-denying  and  zealous,  though  the  fruits  of  near  two 
centuries  of  labor  have,  as  yet,  amounted  to  little  more  than 
the  promise  of  the  harvest  at  some  distant  day.     Enough,  how- 


264  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

ever,  was  known  of  the  missionaries,  and  their  views  in  general, 
to  prepare  the  council,  in  some  small  degree,  for  the  forth  com- 
ing exhibition. 

Parson  Amen  had  caught  some  of  the  habits  of  the  Indians, 
in  the  course  of  years  of  communication  and  intercourse.     Like  ' 
them  he  had  learned  to  be  deliberate,  calm  and  dignified  in  his 
exterior ;  and,  like  them,  he  had  acquired  a  sententious  mode 
of  speaking. 

"  My  children,"  he  said,  for  he  deemed  it  best  to  assume  the 
parental  character,  in  a  scene  of  so  great  moment,  "  as  Peter 
has  told  you,  the  spirit  of  God  is  among  you !  Christians 
know  that  such  has  he  promised  to  be  always  with  his  people, 
and  I  see  faces  in  this  circle  that  I  am  ready  to  claim  as  be- 
longing to  those  who  have  prayed  with  me,  in  days  that  are 
long  past.  If  your  souls  are  not  touched  by  divine  love,  it 
does  not  kill  the  hope  I  entertain  of  your  yet  taking  up  the 
cross,  and  calling  upon  the  Redeemer's  name.  But,  not  for 
this,  have  I  come  with  Peter,  this  night.  I  am  now  here  to  lay 
before  you  an  all  important  fact,  that  Providence  has  revealed 
to  me,  as  the  fruit  of  long  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  study  and 
biblical  inquiry.  It  is  a  tradition — and  red  men  love  traditions 
— it  is  a  tradition  that  touches  your  own  history,  and  which  it 
will  gladden  your  hearts  to  hear,  for  it  will  teach  you  how  much 
your  nation  and  tribes  have  been  the  subject  of  the  especial  care 
and  love  of  the  Great  Spirit.  "When  my  children  say,  speak,  I 
shall  be  ready  to  speak." 

Here  the  missionary  took  his  seat,  wisely  awaiting  a  demon* 
stration  on  the  part  of  the  council,  ere  he  ventured  to  proceed 
any  further.  This  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  he  had  ever 
attempted  to  broach,  in  a  direct  form,  his  favorite  theory  of  the 
"lost  tribes."  Let  a  man  get  once  fairly  possessed  of  any 
peculiar  notion,  whether  it  be  on  religion,  political  economy, 
morals,  politics,  arts,  or  any  thing  else,  and  he  sees  little  beside 
his  beloved  principle,  which  he  is  at  all  times  ready  to  advance, 
defend,  demonstrate,  or  expatiate  on.  Nothing  can  be  simple* 
than  the  two  great  dogmas  of  Christianity,  which  are  so  plai> 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  265 

that  all  can  both  comprehend  them  and  feel  their  truth.  They 
teach  us  to  love  God,  the  surest  way  to  obey  him,  and  to  love 
our  neighbor  as  ourselves.  Any  one  can  understand  this ;  all 
can  see  how  just  it  is,  and  how  much  of  moral  sublimity  it  con- 
tains. It  is  Godlike,  and  brings  us  near  the  very  essence  of  the 
Divinity,  which  is  love,  mercy,  and  truth.  Yet  how  few  are 
content  to  accept  the  teachings  of  the  Saviour  in  this  respect, 
without  embarrassing  them  with  theories  that  have  so  much  of 
their  origin  in  human  fancies.  "We  do  not  mean  by  this,  how- 
ever, that  Parson  Amen  was  so  very  wrong  in  bestowing  a  part 
of  his  attention  on  that  wonderful  people,  who,  so  early  set 
apart  by  the  Creator  as  the  creatures  of  his  own  especial  ends, 
have  already  played  so  great  a  part  in  the  history  of  nations, 
and  who.  are  designed,  so  far  as  we  can  penetrate  revelation, 
yet  to  enact  their  share  in  the  sublime  drama  of  human  events. 

As  for  the  council,  its  members  were  moved  by  more  than 
ordinary  curiosity  to  hear  what  further  the  missionary  might 
Lave  to  say,  though  all  present  succeeded  admirably  in  suppres- 
sing the  exhibition  of  any  interest  that  might  seem  weak  and 
womanly.  After  a  decent  delay,  therefore,  Bear's  Meat  inti- 
mated to  the  parson  that  it  would  be  agreeable  to  the  chiefs 
present  to  listen  to  him  further. 

"  My  children,  I  have  a  great  tradition  to  tell  you,"  the  mis- 
sionary resumed,  as  soon  as  on  his  feet  again  ;  "  a  very  great 
and  divine  tradition ;  not  a  tradition  of  man's,  but  one  that 
came  direct  from  the  Maniton  himself.  Peter  has  spoken 
truth ;  there  is  but  one  Great  Spirit ;  he  is  the  Great  Spirit  of 
all  colors,  and  tribes,  and  nations.  He  made  all  men  of  the 
same  clay."  Here  a  slight  sensation  was  perceptible  among  the 
audience,  most  of  whom  were  very  decidedly  of  a  different 
opinion,  on  this  point  of  natural  history.  But  the  missionary 
was  now  so  far  warmed  with  his  subject  as  to  disregard  any 
slight  interruption,  and  proceeded  as  if  his  listeners  had  betrayed 
no  feeling.  "  And  he  divided  them  afterward  into  nations  and 
tribes.  It  was  then  that  he  caused  the  color  of  his  creatuics 
to  change.  Some  he  kept  white,  as  he  had  made  them.  Some 
12 


266  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

he  put  behind  a  dark  cloud,  and  they  became  altogether  black. 
Our  wise  men  think  that  this  was  done  in  punishment  for  then 
sins.  Some  he  painted  red,  like  the  nations  on  this  continent." 
Here  Peter  raised  a  finger,  in  sign  that  he  would  ask  a  ques- 
tion ;  for,  without  permission  granted,  no  Indian  would  inter- 
rupt the  speaker.  Indeed,  no  one  of  less  claims  than  Peter 
would  hardly  have  presumed  to  take  the  step  he  now  did,  and 
that  because  he  saw  a  burning  curiosity  gleaming  in  the  bright 
eyes  of  so  many  in  the  dark  circle. 

"Say  on,  Peter,"  answered  the  missionary  to  this  sign ;  "I 
will  reply." 

"  Let  my  brother  say  why  the  Great  Spirit  turned  the  Indian 
to  a  red  color  ?  Was  he  angry  with  him  ?  or  did  he  paint  him 
so  out  of  love?" 

"This  is  more  than  I  can  tell  you,  friends.  There  are  many 
colors  among  men,  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  and  many 
shades  among  people  of  the  same  color.  There  are  pale-faces 
fair  as  the  lily,  and  there  are  pale-faces  so  dark,  as  scarcely  to 
be  distinguished  from  blacks.  The  sun  does  much  of  this ; 
but  no  sun,  nor  want  of  sun,  will  ever  make  a  pale-face  a  red- 
skin, or  a  redskin  a  pale-face." 

"Good — that  is  what  we  Indians  say.  The  Manitou  has 
made  us  different ;  he  did  not  mean  that  we  should  live  on  the 
same  hunting-grounds,"  rejoined  Peter,  who  rarely  failed  to 
improve  every  opportunity  in  order  to  impress  on  the  minds  of 
his  followers  the  necessity  of  now  crushing  the  serpent  in  its 
shell. 

"No  man  can  say  that,"  answered  Parson  Amen.  u  Unless 
my  people  had  come  to  this  continent,  the  word  of  God  could 
not  have  been  preached  by  me,  along  the  shores  of  these  lakes. 
But  I  will  now  speak  of  our  great  tradition.  The  Great  Spirit 
divided  mankind  into  nations  and  tribes.  When  this  was  done, 
he  picked  out  one  for  his  chosen  people.  The  pale-faces  call 
that  favorite,  and  for  a  long  time  much-favored  people,  Jews. 
The  Manitou  led  them  through  a  wilderness,  and  even  through 
a  salt  lake,  until  they  reached  a  promised  land,  where  he  per 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  267 

mitted  them  to  live  for  many  hundred  winters.  A  great 
triumph  was  to  come  out  of  that  people — the  triumphs  of  truth 
and  of  the  law,  over  sin  and  death.  In  the  course  of  time — " 
Here  a  young  chief  rose,  made  a  sign  of  caution,  and  cross- 
ing the  circle  rapidly,  disappeared  by  the  passage  through  which 
the  rill  flowed.  In  about  a  minute  he  returned,  showing  the 
way  into  the  centre  of  the  council  to  one  whom  all  present  im- 
mediately recognized  as  a  runner,  by  his  dress  and  equipments. 
Important  news  was  at  hand  ;  yet  not  a  man  of  all  that  crowd 
either  rose  or  spoke,  in  impatience  to  learn  what  it  was ! 


•208  THE      OAK      OPENINOS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  Who  will  believe  that,  with  a  smile  whose  blessing 
Would,  like  the  patriarch's,  soothe  a  dying  honr* 
With  voice  as  low,  as  gentle,  and  caressing 

As  e'er  won  maiden's  lips  in  moonlight  bower ; 

"  With  look  like  patient  Job's,  eschewing  evil ; 
With  motions  graceful  as  the  birds  in  air  t 
Thou  art,  in  sober  truth,  the  veriest  devil 

That  e'er  clinched  fingers  in  a  captive's  hair  ?"  « 

Halleck's  Red- Jacket. 

Although  the  arrival  of  the  runner  was  so  totally  unexpect- 
ed, it  scarcely  disturbed  the  quiet  of  that  grave  assembly.  His 
approaching  step  had  been  heard,  and  he  was  introduced  in  the 
manner  mentioned,  when  the  young  chief  resumed  his  seat, 
leaving  the  messenger  standing  near  the  centre  of  the  circle, 
and  altogether  within  the  influence  of  the  light.  He  was  an 
Ottawa,  and  had  evidently  travelled  far  and  fast.  At  length  he 
spoke ;  no  one  having  put  a  single  question  to  him,  or  betrayed 
the  least  sign  of  impatient  curiosity. 

"  I  come  to  tell  the  chiefs  what  has  happened,"  said  the  run- 
ner. "  Our  Great  Father  from  Quebec  has  sent  his  young  men 
against  the  Yankees.  Eed  warriors,  too,  were  there  in  hun- 
dreds— "  here  a  murmur  of  interest  was  slightly  apparent 
among  the  chiefs — "  their  path  led  them  to  Detroit ;  it  is 
taken." 

A  low  murmur,  expressive  of  satisfaction,  passed  round  the 
circle,  for  Detroit  was  then  the  most  important  of  all  the  posts 
held  by  the  Americans,  along  the  whole  line  of  the  great  lakes. 
Eye  met  eye  in  surprise  and  admiration ;  then  one  of  the  older 
chiefs  yielded  to  his  interest  in  the  subject,  and  inquired — 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  269 

"Have  our  young  men  taken  many  pale-face  scalps?" 

"So  few  that  they  are  not  worth  counting.  I  did  not  see 
one  pole  that  was  such  as  an  Indian  loves  to  look  on." 

"Did  our  young  men  keep  back,  and  let  the  warriors  from 
Quebec  do  all  the  fighting  ?? 

"  No  one  fought.  The  Yankees  asked  to  be  made  prisoners, 
without  using  their  rifles.  Never  before  have  so  many  captives 
been  led  into  the  villages  with  so  little  to  make  their  enemies 
look  on  them  with  friendly  eyes." 

A  gleam  of  fierce  delight  passed  athwart  the  dark  features  of 
Peter.  It  is  probable  that  he  fell  into  the  same  error,  on  hear- 
ing these  tidings,  as  that  which  so  generally  prevailed  for  a 
short  time  among  the  natives  of  the  old  world,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  both  of  the  two  last  wars  of  the  republic,  when 
the  disasters  with  which  they  opened  induced  so  many  to  fall 
into  the  fatal  error  of  regarding  Jonathan  as  merely  a  "  shop 
keeper."  A  shopkeeper,  in  a  certain  sense,  he  may  well  be 
accounted ;  but  among  his  wares  are  arms,  that  he  has  the  head, 
the  heart,  and  the  hands  to  use,  as  man  has  very  rarely  been 
known  to  use  them  before.  Even  at  this  very  instant,  the 
brilliant  success  which  has  rendered  the  armed  citizens  of  this 
country  the  wonder  of  Europe,  is  reacting  on  the  masses  of  the 
old  world,  teaching  them  their  power,  and  inciting  them  to 
stand  up  to  the  regularly  armed  bands  of  their  rulers,  with  a 
spirit  and  confidence  that,  hitherto,  has  been  little  known  in 
their  histories.  Happy,  thrice  happy  will  it  be,  if  the  conquer- 
ors use  their  success  in  moderation,  and  settle  down  into  the 
ways  of  practical  reason,  instead  of  suffering  their  minds  to  be 
led  astray  in  quest  of  the  political  jack-o'-lanterns,  that  are  cer- 
tain to  conduct  their  followers  into  the  quagmires  of  impractica- 
ble and  visionary  theories.  To  abolish  abuses,  to  set  in  motion 
the  car  of  state  on  the  track  of  justice  and  economy,  and  to 
distinguish  between  that  which  is  really  essential  to  human 
happiness  and  human  rights,  and  that  which  is  merely  the  result 
of  some  wild  and  bootless  proposition  in  political  economy, 
are  the  great  self-imposed  tasks  that  the  European  people  seem 


270  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

now  to  have  assumed ;  and  God  grant  that  they  may  complete 
their  labors  with  the  moderation  and  success  with  which  they 
would  appear  to  have  commenced  them ! 

As  for  Peter,  with  the  curse  of  ignorance  weighing  on  his 
mind,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  he  fancied  his  own  great  task 
of  destroying  the  whites  was  so  much  the  lighter,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  feeble  defence  of  the  Yankees  at  Detroit.  The 
runner  was  now  questioned  by  the  different  chiefs  for  details, 
which  he  furnished  with  sufficient  intelligence  and  distinctness. 
The  whole  of  that  discreditable  story  is  too  prominent  in  history, 
and  of  too  recent  occurrence,  to  stand  in  need  of  repetition 
here.  When  the  runner  had  told  his  tale,  the  chiefs  broke  the 
order  of  their  circle,  to  converse  the  more  easily  concerning  the 
great  events  which  had  just  occurred.  Some  were  not  back- 
ward in  letting  their  contempt  for  the  "  Yankees"  be  known. 
Here  were  three  of  their  strong  places  taken,  in  quick  succes- 
sion, and  almost  without  a  blow.  Detroit,  the  strongest  of 
them  all,  and  defended  by  an  army,  had  fallen  in  a  way  to 
bring  the  blush  to  the  American  face,  seemingly  leaving  the 
whole  of  the  north-western  frontier  of  the  country  ravished 
from  the  red  man,  exposed  to  his  incursions  and  depredations. 

"  What  does  my  father  think  of  this  ?"  asked  Bear's  Meat  of 
Peter,  as  the  two  stood  apart,  in  a  cluster  of  some  three  or 
four  of  the  principal  personages  present.  "  Does  the  news  make 
his  heart  stronger?" 

"It  is  always  strong  when  this  business  is  before  it.  The 
Manitou  has  long  looked  darkly  upon  the  red  men,  but  now 
his  face  brightens.  The  cloud  is  passing  from  before  his  coun- 
tenance, and  we  can  begin  again  to  see  his  smile.  It  will  be 
with  our  sons  as  it  was  with  our  fathers.  Our  hunting-grounds 
will  be  our  own,  and  the  buffalo  and  deer  will  be  plenty  in 
our  wigwams.  The  fire-water  will  flow  after  them  that  brought 
it  into  the  country,  and  the  red  man  will  once  more  be  happy, 
as  in  times  past !" 

The  ignis  fatuus  of  human  happiness  employs  all  minds, 
all  faculties,  all   pens,  and  all  theories,  just  at  this  particular 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  271 

moment.  A  thousand  projects  have  been  broached,  will  con- 
tinue to  be  broached,  and  will  fail,  each  in  its  time,  showing 
the  mistakes  of  men,  without  remedying  the  evils  of  which  they 
complain.  This  is  not  because  a  beneficent  Providence  has 
neglected  to  enlighten  their  minds,  and  to  show  them  the  way 
to  be  happy,  here  and  hereafter ;  but  because  human  conceit 
runs,  pari  passu,  with  human  woes,  and  we  are  too  proud  to 
look  for  our  lessons  of  conduct,  in  that  code  in  which  they  have 
been  set  before  us  by  unerring  wisdom  and  ceaseless  love.  If 
the  political  economists,  and  reformers,  and  revolutionists  of 
the  age,  would  turn  from  their  speculations  to  those  familiar 
precepts  which  all  are  taught  and  so  few  obey,  they  would  find 
rules  for  every  emergency  ;  and,  most  of  all,  would  they  learn 
the  great  secret  which  lies  so  profoundly' hid  from  them  and 
their  philosophy,  in  the  contented  mind.  Nothing  short  of  this 
will  ever  bring  the  mighty  reform  that  the  world  needs.  The 
press  may  be  declared  free,  but  a  very  brief  experience  will 
teach  those  who  fancy  that  this  one  conquest  will  secure  the 
victory,  that  they  have  only  obtained  King  Stork  in  the  lieu  of 
King  Log;  a  vulgar  and  most  hideous  tyrant  for  one  of  royal 
birth  and  gentle  manners.  They  may  set  up  the  rule  of  patriots 
by  profession,  in  place  of  the  dominion  of  those  who  have  so 
long  pretended  that  the  art  of  governing  descends  from  male  to 
male,  according  to  the  order  of  primogeniture,  and  live  to 
wonder  that  love  of  country  should  have  so  many  weaknesses 
in  common  with  love  of  itself.  They  may  rely  on  written 
charters  for  their  liberties,  instead  of  the  divine  right  of  kings, 
and  come  perchance  to  learn,  that  neither  language,  nor  cove- 
nants, nor  signatures,  nor  seals  avail  much,  as  against  the  neces- 
sities of  nations,  and  the  policy  of  rulers.  Do  we  then  regard 
reform  as  impossible,  and  society  to  be  doomed  to  struggle  on 
in  its  old  sloughs  of  oppression  and  abuses  ?  Far  from  it.  We 
believe  and  hope,  that  at  each  effort  of  a  sage  character,  some- 
thing is  gained,  while  much  more  than  had  been  expected  is 
lost ;  and  such  we  think  will  continue  to  be  the  course  of  events, 
until  men  shall  reach  that  period  in  their  history  when,  possi- 


272  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

bly  to  tlieir  wonder,  they  will  find  that  a  faultless  code  for  the 
government  of  all  their  affairs  has  been  lying  neglected,  daily 
and  hourly,  in  tlieir  very  hands,  for  eighteen  centuries  and  a 
half,  without  their  perceiving  the  all-important  truth.  In  due 
season  this  code  will  supersede  all  others,  when  the  world  will, 
for  the  first  time,  be  happy  and  truly  free. 

There  was  a  marked  resemblance  between  the  hopes  and  ex- 
pectations of  Peter,  in  reference  to  the  overthrow  of  his  pale- 
face enemies  on  the  American  continent,  and  those  of  the  rev- 
olutionists of  the  old  world  in  reference  to  the  overthrow  of 
their  strong-intrenched  foes  on  that  of  Europe.  Each  fancies 
success  more  easy  of  attainment  than  the  end  is  likely  to  show ; 
both  overlook  the  terrible  power  of  their  adversaries;  and 
both  take  the  suggestions  of  a  hope  that  is  lively  rather  than 
enlightened,  as  the  substitute  for  the  lessons  of  wisdom. 

It  was  some  little  time  ere  the  council  had  so  far  regained  its 
calm,  as  to  think  of  inviting  the  missionary  to  resume  his  dis- 
course. The  last  had  necessarily  heard  the  news,  and  was  so 
much  troubled  by  it,  as  to  feel  no  great  disposition  to  proceed ; 
but  Peter  intimating  that  "the  ears  of  his  friends  were  open," 
he  was  of  opinion  it  would  be  wisest  to  go  on  with  his  tradi- 
tions. 

"Thus  it  was,  my  children,"  Parson  Amen  continued,  the 
circle  being  just  as  quiet  and  attentive  as  if  no  interruption  had 
occurred — "  the  Great  Spirit,  selecting  from  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  one  to  be  his  chosen  people.  I  cannot  stop,  now, 
to  tell  you  all  he  did  for  this  nation,  in  the  way  of  wonders  and 
power;  but,  finally,  he  placed  them  in  a  beautiful  country, 
where  milk  and  honey  abounded,  and  made  them  its  masters. 
From  that  people,  in  his  earthly  character,  came  the  Christ 
whom  we  missionaries  preach  to  you,  and  who  is  the  great  head 
of  our  church.  Although  the  Jews,  or  Israelites,  as  we  call 
that  people,  where  thus  honored  and  thus  favored  of  the  Mani- 
tou,  they  were  but  men,  they  had  the  weaknesses  of  men.  On 
more  than  one  occasion  they  displeased  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
that  so  seriously  as  to  draw  down  condign  punishment  on  them- 


THE     OAK     OPEflllNGb.  273 

selves,  and  on  their  wives  and  children.  In  various  ways  were 
they  visited  for  their  backsliding  and  sins,  each  time  repenting 
and  receiving  forgiveness.  At  length  the  Great  Spirit,  tired  of 
their  forgetfulness  and  crimes,  allowed  an  army  to  come  into 
their  land,  and  to  carry  away  as  captives  no  less  than  ten  of 
their  twelve  tribes ;  putting  their  people  in  strange  hunting- 
grounds.  Now,  this  happened  many  thousands  of  moons  since, 
and  no  one  can  say  with  certainty  what  has  become,  of  those 
captives,  whom  Christians  are  accustomed  to  call  '  the  lost  tribes 
of  Israel.'  " 

Here  the  missionary  paused  to  arrange  his  thoughts,  and  a 
slight  murmur  was  heard  in  the  circle  as  the  chiefs  communed 
together,  in  interested  comments  on  what  had  just  been  said. 
The  pause,  however,  was  short,  and  the  speaker  again  proceed- 
ed, safe- from  any  ungracious  interruption,  among  auditors  so 
trained  in  self-restraint. 

' '  Children,  I  shall  not  now  say  any  thing  touching  the  birth 
of  Christ,  the  redemption  of  the  world,  and  the  history  of  the 
two  tribes  that  remained  in  the  land  where  God  had  placed  his 
people ;  for  that  is  a  part  of  the  subject  that  comes  properly 
within  the  scope  of  my  ordinary  teaching.  At  present  I  wish 
only  to  speak  of  yourselves  ;  of  the  red  man  of  America,  of  his 
probable  origin  and  end,  and  of  a  great  discovery  that  many  of 
us  think  we  have  made,  on  this  most  interesting  topic  in  the 
history  of  the  good  book.  Does  any  one  present  know  aught 
of  the  ten  lost  tribes  of  whom  I  have  spoken  V 

Eye  met  eye,  and  expectation  was  lively  among  those  primi- 
tive and  untaught  savages.  At  length  Crowsfeather  arose  to 
answer,  the  missionary  standing  the  whole  time,  motionless,  as 
if  waiting  for  a  reply. 

"  My  brother  has  told  us  a  tradition,"  said  the  Pottawatta- 
mie. "It  is  a  good  tradition.  It  is  a  strange  tradition.  Eed 
men  love  to  hear  such  traditions.  It  is  wonderful  that  so  many 
as  ten  tribes  should  be  lost,  at  the  same  time,  and  no  one  know 
what^has  become  of  them  !  My  brother  asks  us  if  we  know 
what  has  become  of  these  ten  tribes.     How  should  poor  red 


274  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

men,  who  live  on  their  hunting-grounds,  and  who  are  busy 
when  the  grass  grows  in  getting  together  food  for  their  squaws 
and  pappooses,  against  a  time  when  the  buffalo  can  find  noth- 
ing to  eat  in  this  part  of  the  world,  know  any  thing  of  a  people 
that  they  never  saw  ?  My  brother  has  asked  a  question  that  he 
only  can  answer.  Let  him  tell  us  where  these  ten  tribes  are  to 
be  found,  if  he  knows  the  place.  We  should  like  to  go  and 
look  at  them." 

"Here!"  exclaimed  the  missionary,  the  instant  Crowsfea- 
ther  ceased  speaking,  and  even  before  he  was  seated.  "  Here 
— in  this  council — on  these  prairies — in  these  openings — here, 
on  the  shores  of  the  great  lakes  of  sweet  water,  and  throughout 
the  land  of  America,  are  these  tribes  to  be  found.  The  red 
man  is  a  Jew  ;  a  Jew  is  a  red  man.  The  Manitou  has  brought 
the  scattered  people  of  Israel  to  this  part  of  the  world,  and  I 
see  his  power  in  the  wonderful  fact.  Nothing  but  a  miracle 
could  have  done  this  ?" 

Great  was  the  admiration  of  the  Indians  at  this  announce- 
ment !  None  of  their  own  traditions  gave  this  account  of  their 
origin ;  but  there  is  reason  to  believe,  on  the  other  hand,  that 
none  of  them  contradict  it.  Nevertheless,  here  was  a  medi- 
cine-priest of  the  pale-faces  boldly  proclaiming  the  fact,  and 
great  was  the  wonder  of  all  who  heard,  thereat !  Having 
spoken,  the  missionary  again  paused,  that  his  words  might  pro- 
duce their  effect.  Bear's  Meat  now  became  his  interrogator, 
rising  respectfully,  and  standing  during  the  colloquy  that  suc- 
ceeded. 

"  My  brother  has  spoken  a  great  tradition,"  said  the  Meno- 
menee.      "Did  he  first  hear  it  from  his  fathers?" 

"In  part,  only.  The  history  of  the  lost  tribes  has  come 
down  to  us  from  our  fathers  ;  it  is  written  in  the  good  book  of 
the  pale-faces ;  the  book  that  contains  the  word  of  the  Great 
Spirit." 

"  Does  the  good  book  of  the  pale-faces  say  that  the  red  men 
are  the  children  of  the  people  he  has  mentioned  ?" 

"  I  cannot  say  that  it  doe3.     While  the  good  book  tells  us  so 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 


975 


much,  it  also  leaves  very  much  untold.  It  is  best  that  we  should 
look  for  ourselves,  that  we  may  find  out  some  of  its  meanings. 
It  is  in  thus  looking,  that  many  Christians  see  the  great  truth 
which  makes  the  Indians  of  America  and  the  Jews  beyond  the 
great  salt  lake,  one  and  the  same  people. J) 

"  If  this  be  so,  let  my  brother  tell  us  how  far  it  is  from  our 
hunting-grounds  to  that  distant  land  across  the  great  salt  lake !" 

"  I  cannot  give  you  this  distance  in  miles  exactly  ;  but  I  sup- 
pose it  may  be  eleven  or  twelve  times  the  length  of  Michigan." 

"  Will  my  brother  tell  us  how  much  of  this  long  path  is 
water,  and  how  much  of  it  is  dry  land  i" 

" Perhaps  one-fourth  is  land,  as  the  traveller  may  choose; 
the  rest  must  be  water,  if  the  journey  be  made  from  the  ris- 
ing toward  the  setting  sun,  which  is  the  shortest  path ;  but, 
let  the  journey  be  made  from  the  setting  toward  the  rising 
sun,  and  there  is  little  water  to  cross ;  rivers  and  lakes  of  no 
great  width,  as  is  seen  here,  but  only  a  small  breadth  of  salt 
lake." 

"  Are  there,  then,  two  roads  to  that  far  off  land,  where  the 
red  men  are  thought  to  have  once  lived  V 

"Even  so.  The  traveller  may  come  to  this  spot  from  that 
land  by  way  of  the  rising  sun,  or  by  way  of  the  setting  sun." 

The  general  movement  among  the  members  of  the  council 
denoted  the  surprise  with  which  this  account  was  received.  As 
the  Indians,  until  they  have  had  much  intercourse  with  the 
whites,  very  generally  believe  the  earth  to  be  flat,  it  was  not 
easy  for  them  to  comprehend  how  a  given,  point  could  be  reached 
by  directly  opposite  routes.  Such  an  apparent  contradiction 
would  be  very  likely  to  extort  further  questions. 

44  My  brother  is  a  medicine-man  of  the  pale-faces ;  his  hairs 
are  gray,"  observed  Crowsfeather,  "Some  of  your  medicine- 
men are  good,  and  some  wicked.  It  is  so  with  the  medicine- 
men of  the  redskins.  Good  and  bad  are  to  be  found  in  all 
nations.  A  medicine-man  of  your  people  cheated  my  young 
men  by  promising  to  show  them  where  fire-water  grows.  He 
did  not  show  them.     He  let  them  smell,  but  he  did  not  let  them 


276  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

drink.  That  was  a  wicked  medicine-man.  His  scalp  would 
not  be  safe  did  my  young  men  see  it  again — "  here  the  bee- 
hunter,  insensibly  to  himself,  felt  for  his  rifle,  making  sure  that 
he  had  it  between  his  legs ;  the  corporal  being  a  little  surprised 
at  the  sudden  start  he  gave.  "  His  hair  does  not  grow  on  his 
head  closer  than  the  trees  grow  to  the  ground.  Even  a  tree 
can  be  cut  down.  But  all  medicine-men  are  not  alike.  My 
brother  is  a  good  medicine-man.  All  he  says  may  not  be  just 
as  he  thinks,  but  he  believes  what  he  says.  It  is  wonderful 
how  men  can  look  two  ways  ;  but  it  is  more  wonderful  that 
they  should  go  to  the  same  place  by  paths  that  lead  before  and 
behind.  This  we  do  not  understand ;  my  brother  will  tell  us 
how  it  can  be." 

"I  believe  I  understand  what  it  is  that  my  children  would 
know.  They  think  the  earth  is  flat,  but  the  pale-faces  know 
that  it  is  round.  He  who  travels  and  travels  toward  the  set- 
ting sun  would  come  to  this  very  spot,  if  he  travelled  long 
enough.  The  distance  would  be  great,  but  the  end  of  every 
straight  path  in  this  world  is  the  place  of  starting." 

"  My  brother  says  this.  He  says  many  curious  things.  I 
have  heard  a  medicine-man  of  his  people  say  that  the  pale-faces 
have  seen  their  Great  Spirit,  talked  with  him,  walked  with  him. 
It  is  not  so  with  us  Indians.  Our  Manitou  speaks  to  us  in 
thunder  only.  We  are  ignorant,  and  wish  to  learn  more  than 
we  now  know.  Has  my  brother  ever  travelled  on  that  path 
which  ends  where  it  begins  ?  Once,  on  the  prairies,  I  lost  my 
way.  There  was  snow,  and  glad  was  I  to  find  tracks.  I  fol- 
lowed the  tracks.  But  one  traveller  had  passed.  After  walk- 
mo-  an  hour,  two  had  passed.  Another  hour,  and  the  three  had 
passed.  Then  I  saw  the  tracks  were  my  own,  and  that  I  had 
been  walking,  as  the  squaws  reason,  round  and  round,  but  not 
going  ahead." 

"I  understand  my  friend,  but  he  is  wrong.  It  is  no  matter 
which  path  the  lost  tribes  travelled  to  get  here.  The  main 
question  is,  whether  they  came  at  all.  I  see  in  the  red  men,  in 
their  customs,  their  history,  their  looks,  and  even  in  their  tradi- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  277 

lions,  proofs  that  they  are  these  Jews,  once  the  favored  people 
of  the  Great  Spirit." 

"If  the  Manitou  so  well  loves  the  Indians,  why  has  he  per- 
mitted the  pale-faces  to  take  away  their  hunting  grounds  ?  Why 
has  he  made  the  red  man  poor,  and  the  white  man  rich  ?  Bro- 
ther, I  am  afraid  your  tradition  is  a  lying  tradition,  or  these 
things  would  not  be  so." 

"  Ifc  is  not  given  to  men  to  understand  the  wisdom  that 
cometh  from  above.  That  which  seemeth  so  strange  to  us  may 
be  right.  The  lost  tribes  had  offended  God ;  and  their  scatter- 
ing, and  captivity,  and  punishment,  are  but  so  many  proofs  of 
his  displeasure.  But,  if  lost,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that 
one  day  they  will  be  found.  Yes,  my  children,  it  will  be  the 
pleasure,  of  the  Great  Spirit,  one  day,  to  restore  you  to  the  land 
of  your  fathers,  and  make  you  again,  what  you  once  were,  a 
great  and  glorious  people  !" 

As  the  well-meaning  but  enthusiastic  missionary  spoke  with 
great  fervor,  the  announcement  of  such  an  event,  coming  as  it 
did  from  one  whom  they  respected,  even  while  they  could  not 
understand  him,  did  not  fail  to  produce  a  deep  sensation.  If 
their  fortunes  were  really  the  care  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
justice  was  to  be  done  to  them  by  his  love  and  wisdom,  then 
would  the  projects  of  Peter,  and  those  who  acted  and  felt  with 
him,  be  unnecessary,  and  might  lead  to  evil  instead  of  to  good. 
That  sagacious  savage  did  not  fail  to  discover  this  truth ;  and 
he  now  believed  it  might  be  well  for  him  to  say  a  word,  in  order 
to  lessen  the  influence  Parson  Amen  might  otherwise  obtain 
among  those  whom  it  was  his  design  to  mould  in  a  way  entirely 
to  meet  his  own  wishes.  So  intense  was  the  desire  of  this  mys- 
terious leader  to  execute  vengeance  on  the  pale-faces,  that  the 
redemption  of  the  tribes  from  misery  and  poverty,  unaccom- 
panied by  this  part  of  his  own  project,  would  have  given  him 
pain  in  lieu  of  pleasure.  His  very  soul  had  got  to  be  absorbed 
in  this  one  notion  of  retribution,  and  of  annihilation  for  the  op- 
pressors of  his  race ;  and  he  regarded  all  things  through  a  medium 
of  revenge,  thus  created  by  his  feelings,  much  as  the  missionary 


278  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

endeavored  to  bend  every  fact  and  circumstance,  connected  with 
the  Indians,  to  the  support  of  his  theory  touching  their  Jewish 
origin. 

"When  Peter  arose,  therefore,  fierce  and  malignant  passions 
were  at  work  in  his  bosom ;  such  as  a  merciful  and  a  benignant 
deity  never  wishes  to  see  in  the  breast  of  man,  whether  civilized 
or  savage.  The  self-command  of  the  Tribeless,  however,  was 
great,  and  he  so  far  succeeded  in  suppressing  the  volcano  that 
was  raging  within,  as  to  speak  with  his  usual  dignity,  and  an 
entire  calmness  of  exterior. 

"My  brothers  have  heard  what  the  medicine-man  had  to 
say,"  Peter  commenced.  "  He  has  told  them  that  which  was 
new  to  them.  He  has  told  them  an  Indian  is  not  an  Indian. 
That  a  red  man  is  a  pale-face,  and  that  we  are  not  what  we 
thought  we  were.  It  is  good  to  learn.  It  makes  the  difference 
between  the  wise  and  the  foolish.  The  pale-faces  learn  more 
than  the  redskins.  That  is  the  way  they  have  learned  how  to 
get  our  hunting-grounds.  That  is  the  way  they  have  learned 
to  build  their  villages  on  the  spots  where  our  fathers  killed  the 
deer.  That  is  the  way  they  have  learned  how  to  come  and  tell 
us  that  we  are  not  Indians,  but  Jews.  I  wish  to  learn.  Though 
old,  my  mind  craves  to  know  more.  That  I  may  know  more,  I 
will  ask  this  medicine-man  questions,  and  my  brothers  can  open 
their  ears,  and  learn  a  little,  too,  by  what  he  answers.  Per- 
haps we  shall  believe  that  we  are  not  redskins,  but  pale-faces. 
Perhaps  we  shall  believe  that  our  true  hunting-grounds  arc  not 
near  the  great  lakes  of  sweet  water,  but  under  the  rising  sun. 
Perhaps  we  shall  wish -to  go  home,  and  to  leave  these  pleasant 
openings  for  the  pale-faces  to  put  their  cabins  on  them,  as 
the  small-pox  that  they  have  also  given  to  us,  puts  its  sores 
on  our  bodies.  Brother — "  turning  toward  the  missionary 
— " listen.  You  say  we  are  no  longer  Indians,  but  Jews:  is 
this  true  of  all  red  men,  or  only  of  the  tribes  whose  chiefs 
are  here  P 

"  Of  all  red  men,  as  I  most  sincerely  believe.  You  are  now 
red,  but  once  all  of  your  people  were  fairer  than  the  fairest  of 


XHE      OAK      OPENINGS.  270 

tlie  pale-faces  It  is  climate,  and  hardships,  and  sufferings  that 
have  changed  your  color.'' 

"  If  suffering  can  do  that"  returned  Peter,  with  emphasis, 
"  I  wonder  we  are  not  black.  When  all  our  hunting-grounds 
are  covered  with  the  farms  of  your  people,  I  think  we  shall  "be 
blacks 

Signs  of  powerful  disgust  were  now  visible  among  the  listen- 
ers, an  Indian  having  much  of  the  contempt  that  seems  to 
weigh  so  heavily  on  that  unfortunate  class,  for  all  of  the  color 
mentioned.  At  the  south,  as  is  known,  the  red  man  has  al- 
ready made  a  slave  of  the  descendants  of  the  children  of  Africa, 
but  no  man  has  ever  yet  made  a  slave  of  a  son  of  the  American 
forests  !  That  is  a  result  which  no  human  power  has  yet  been 
able  to  accomplish.  Early  in  the  settlement  of  the  country, 
attempts  were  indeed  made,  by  sending  a  few  individuals  to  the 
islands  ;  but  so  unsuccessful  did  the  experiment  turn  out  to  be, 
that  the  design  was  soon  abandoned.  Whatever  may  be  his 
degradation,  and  poverty,  and  ignorance,  and  savage  ferocity,  it 
would  seem  to  be  the  settled  purpose  of  the  American  Indians 
of  our  own  territories — unlike  the  aborigines  who  are  to  be 
found  further  south — to  live  and  die  free  men. 

"  My  children,"  answered  the  missionary,  "  I  pretend  not  to 
say  what  will  happen,  except,  as  it  has  been  told  to  us  in  the 
word  of  God.  You  know  that  we  pale-faces  have  a  book,  in 
which  the  Great  Spirit  has  told  us  his  laws,  and  foretold  to  us 
many  of  the  things  that  are  to  happen.  Some  of  these  things 
have  happened,  while  some  remain  to  happen.  The  loss  of  the 
ten  tribes  was  foretold,  and  has  happened  ;  but  their  being 
found  again,  has  not  yet  happened,  unless  indeed  I  am  so 
blessed  as  to  be  one  of  those  who  have  been  permitted  to  meet 
them  in  these  openings.  Here  is  the  book — it  goes  where  I  go, 
and  is  my  companion  and  friend,  by  day  and  by  night ;  in  gotxl 
and  evil ;  in  season  and  out  of  season.  To  this  book  I  cling  as 
to  my  great  anchor,  that  is  to  carry  me  through  the  storms  in 
safety  !     Every  line  in  it  is  precious  ;  every  word  true  !" 

Perhaps  half  the  chiefs  present  had  seen  books  before,  while 


280  THE     OAK      OPENINGS. 

those  who  now  laid  eyes  on  one  for  the  first  time,  had  heard  of 
this  art  of  the  pale-faees,  which  enabled  them  to  set  down  their 
traditions  in  a  way  peculiar  to  themselves.  Even  -the  Indians 
have  their  records,  however,  though  resorting  to  the  use  of  nat- 
ural signs,  and  a  species  of  hieroglyphics,  in  lieu  of  the  more 
rtistical  process  of  using  words  and  letters,  in  a  systemized 
written  language.  The  Bible,  too,  was  a  book  of  which  all  had 
heard,  more  or  less ;  though  not  one  of  those  present  had  ever 
been  the  subject  of  its  influence.  A  Christian  Indian,  indeed 
—and  a  few  of  those  were  to  be  found  even  at  that  day — 
would  hardly  have  attended  a  council  convened  for  the  objects 
which  had  caused  this  to  be  convened.  Still,  a  strong  but  regu- 
lated curiosity  existed,  to  see,  and  touch,  and  examine  the  great 
medicine-book  of  the  pale-faces.  There  was  a  good  deal  of 
superstition  blended  with  the  Indian  manner  of  regarding  the 
sacred  volume  ;  some  present  having  their  doubts  about  touch- 
ing it,  even  while  most  excited  by  admiration,  and  a  desire  to 
probe  its  secrets.      .  • 

Peter  took  the  little  volume,  which  the  missionary  extended 
as  if  inviting  any  one  who  might  so  please,  to  examine  it  also. 
It  was  the  first  time  the  wary  chief  had  ever  suffered  that  mys- 
terious book  to  touch  him.  Among  his  other  speculations  on 
the  subject  of  the  manner  in  which  the  white  men  were  en- 
croaching, from  year  to  year,  on  the  lands  of  the  natives,  it  hac1 
occurred  to  his  mind  that  this  extraordinary  volume,  which  the 
pale-faces  all  seemed  to  reverence,  even  to  the  drunkards  of  the 
garrisons,  might  contain  the  great  elements  of  their  power. 
Perhaps  he  was  not  very  much  out  of  the  way  in  this  supposi- 
tion ;  though  they  who  use  the  volume  habitually,  arc  not  them- 
selves aware,  one  half  the  time,  why  it  is  so. 

On  the  present  occasion,  Peter  saw  the  great  importance  of 
not  betraying  apprehension,  and  he  turned  over  the  pages  awk- 
wardly, as  one  would  be  apt  to  handle  a  book  for  the  first  time, 
but  boldly  and  without  hesitation.  Encouraged  by  the  impu- 
nity that  accompanied  this  hardihood,  Peter  shook  the  leaves 
open,  and  held  the  volume  on  high,  in  a  way  that  told  his  own 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  281 

people  tliat  lie  cared  not  for  its  charms  or  power.  There  was 
more  of  seeming  than  of  truth,  however,  in  this  bravado  ;  for 
never  before  had  this  extraordinary  being  made  so  heavy  a  draft 
on  his  courage  and  self-command,  as  in  the  performance  of  this 
simple  act.  He  did  not,  could  not  know  what  were  the  virtues 
of  the  book,  and  his  imagination  very  readily  suggested  the 
worst.  As  the  great  medicine  volume  of  the  pale-faces,  it  was 
quite  likely  to  contain  that  which  was  hostile  to  the  red  men ; 
and  this  fact,  so  probable  to  his  eyes,  rendered  it  likely  that 
some  serious  evil  to  himself  might  follow  from  the  contact. 
It  did  not,  however ;  and  a  smile  of  grim  satisfaction  lighted 
his  swarthy  countenance,  as,  turning  to  the  missionary,  he  said 
with  point — 

"  Let  my  brother  open  his  eyes.  I  have  looked  into  his 
medicine-book,  but  do  not  see  that  the  red  man  is  any  thing 
but  a  red  man.  The  Great  Spirit  made  him ;  and  what  the 
Great  Spirit  makes,  lasts.  The  pale-faces  have  made  their  book, 
and  it  lies." 

■"No,  no — Peter,  Peter,  thou  utterest  wicked  words.  But 
the  Lord  will  pardon  thee,  since  thou  knowest  not  what  thou 
sayest.  Give  me  the  sacred  volume,  that  I  may  place  it  next 
my  heart,  where  I  humbly  trust  so  many  of  its  divine  precepts 
are  already  entrenched." 

This  was  said  in  English,  under  the  impulse  of  feeling,  but 
being  understood  by  Peter,  the  latter  quietly  relinquished  the 
Bible,  preparing  to  follow  up  the  advantage  he  perceived  he  had 
gained,  on  the  spot. 

"My  brother  has  his  medicine-book,  again,"  said  Peter, 
"and  the  red  men  live.  This  hand  is  not  withered  like  the 
dead  branch  of  the  hemlock ;  yet  it  has  held  his  word  of  the 
Great  Spirit !  It  may  be  that  a  redskin  and  a  pale-face  book 
cannot  do  each  other  harm.  I  looked  into  my  brother's  great 
charm,  but  did  not  see  or  hear  a  tradition  that  tells  me  we  are 
Jews.  There  is  a  bee-hunter  in  these  openings.  I  have  talked 
with  him.  He  has  told  me  who  these  Jews  are.  He  says  they 
are  people  who  do  not  go  with  the  pale-faces,  but  live  apart 


282  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

from  them,  like  men  with  the  small-pox.  It  is  not  right  for  my 
brother  to  come  among  the  red  men,  and  tell  them  that  their 
fathers  were  not  good  enough  to  live,  and  eat,  and  go  on  the 
same  paths  as  his  fathers." 

"This  is  all  a  mistake,  Peter — a  great  and  dangerous  mis- 
take !  The  bee-hunter  has  heard  the  Jews  spoken  of  by  those 
who  do  not  sufficiently  read  the  good  book.  They  have  been, 
and  are  still,  the  chosen  people  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  will 
one  day  be  received  back  to  his  favor.  "Would  that  I  were  one 
of  them,  only  enlightened  by  the  words  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment !  No  real  Christian  ever  can,  or  does  now  despise  a  son 
of  Israel,  whatever  has  been  done  in  times  past.  It  is  an 
honor,  and  not  a  disgrace,  to  be  what  I  have  said  my  friends 
are." 

"  If  this  be  so,  why  do  not  the  pale-faces  let  us  keep  our 
hunting-grounds  to  ourselves  ?  "We  are  content.  We  do  not 
wish  to  be  Jews.  Our  canoes  are  too  small  to  cross  the  great 
salt  lake.  They  are  hardly  large  enough  to  cross  the  great  lakes 
of  sweet  water.  We  should  be  tired  of  paddling  so  far.  My 
brother  says  there  is  a  rich  land  under  the  rising  sun,  which  the 
Manitou  gave  to  the  red  men  ?     Is  this  so  ¥* 

"Beyond  all  doubt.  It  was  given  to  the  children  of  Israel, 
for  a  possession  forever;  and  though  you  have  been  carried 
away  from  it  for  a  time,  there  the  land  still  is,  open  to  receive 
you,  and  waiting  the  return  of  its  ancient  masters.  In  good 
season  that  return  must  come  ;  for  we  have  the  word  of  God 
for  it,  in  our  Christian  Bible." 

"  Let  my  brother  open  his  ears  very  wide,  and  hear  what  I 
have  to  say.  We  thank  him  for  letting  us  know  that  we  arc 
Jews.  We  believe  that  he  thinks  what  he  says.  Still,  we 
think  we  are  red  men,  and  Injins,  and  not  Jews.  We  never 
saw  the  place  where  the  sun  rises.  We  do  not  wish  to  see  it. 
Our  hunting-grounds  are  nearer  to  the  place  where  he  sets.  If 
the  pale-faces  believe  we  have  a  right  to  that  distant  land, 
which  is  so  rich  in  good  things,  we  will  give  it  to  them,  and 
keep  these  openings,  and  prairies,  and  woods.     We  know  the 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  28S 

game  of  this  country,  and  have  found  out  how  to  kill  it.  "Wo 
do  not  know  the  game  under  the  rising  sun,  which  may  kill 
us.  Go  to  your  friends  and  say,  '  The  Injins  will  give  you  that 
land  near  the  rising  sun,  if  you  will  let  them  alone  on  their 
hunting-grounds,  where  they  have  so  long  been.  They  say 
that  your  canoes  are  larger  than  their  canoes,  and  that  one  can 
carry  a  whole  tribe.  They  have  seen  some  of  your  big  canoes 
on  the  great  lakes,  and  have  measured  them.  Fill  all  you  have 
got  with  your  squaws  and  pappooses,  put  your  property  in 
them,  and  go  back  by  the  long  path  through  which  you  came. 
Then  will  the  red  man  thank  the  pale-face  and  be  his  friend. 
The  white  man  is  welcome  to  that  far-off  land.  Let  him  take 
it,  and  build  his  villages  on  it,  and  cut  down  its  trees.  This  is 
all  the  Injins  ask.  If  the  pale-faces  can  take  away  with  them 
the  small-pox  and  the  fire-water,  it  will  be  better  still.  They 
brought  both  into  this  country,  it  is  right  that  they  should  take 
them  away.'     Will  my  brother  tell  this  to  his  people  ?" 

"  It  would  do  no  good.  They  know  that  the  land  of  Judea 
is  reserved  by  God  for  his  chosen  people,  and  they  are  not 
Jews.  None  but  the  children  of  Israel  can  restore  that  land  to 
its  ancient  fertility.  It  would  be  useless  for  any  other  to  attempt 
it.  Armies  have  been  there,  and  it  was  once  thought  that  a 
Christian  kingdom  was  set  up  on  the  spot ;  but  neither  the  time 
nor  the  people  had  come.  Jews  alone  can  make  Judea  what  it 
was,  and  what  it  will  be  again.  If  my  people  owned  that  land, 
they  could  not  use  it.  There  are  also  too  many  of  us  now,  to 
go  away  in  canoes." 

"  Did  not  the  fathers  of  the  pale-faces  come  in  canoes  V  de- 
manded Peter,  a  little  sternly. 

"  They  did ;  but  since  that  time  their  increase  has  been  so 
great,  that  canoes  enough  to  hold  them  could  not  be  found. 
No  ;  the  Great  Spirit,  for  his  own  wise  ends,  has  brought  my 
people  hither  ;  and  here  must  they  remain  to  the  end  of  time. 
It  is  not  easy  to  make  the  pigeons  fly  south  in  the  spring." 

This  declaration,  quietly  but  distinctly  made,  as  it  was  the 
habit  of  the  missionary  to  speak,  had  its  effect.     It  told  Peter, 


284  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

and  those  with  him,  as  plainly  as  language  could  tell  them, 
that  there  was  no  reason  to  expect  the  pale-faces  would  ever 
willingly  abandon  the  country,  and  seemed  the  more  distinctly, 
in  all  their  uninstructed  minds,  to  place  the  issue  on  the  armed 
hand.  It  is  not  improbable  that  some  manifestation  of  feeling 
would  have  escaped  the  circle,  had  not  an  interruption  to  the 
proceedings  occurred,  which  put  a  stop  to  all  other  emotions 
but  those  peculiar  to  the  lives  of  savages. 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS  285 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"Nearer  the  mount  stood  Moses;  in  his  hand 
The  rod  which  blasted  with  strange  plagues  the  realm 
Of  Misraim,  and  from  its  time-worn  channels 
Upturned  the  Arabian  sea.    Fair  was  his  broad 
High  front,  and  forth  from  his  soul-piercing  eye 
Did  legislation  look ;  which  full  he  fixed 
Upon  the  blazing  panoply  undazzled." 

HlLLIIOUSH. 

It  often  happens  in  the  recesses  of  the  wilderness,  that,  in 
the  absence  of  men,  the  animals  hunt  each  other.  The  wolves, 
in  particular,  following  their  instincts,  are  often  seen  in  packs, 
pressing  upon  the  heels  of  the  antelope,  deer,  and  other  crea- 
tures of  that  family,  which  depend  for  safety  more  on  their 
speed  than  on  their  horns.  On  the  present  occasion,  a  fine 
buck,  with  a  pack  of  fifty  wolves  close  after  it,  came  bounding 
through  the  narrow  gorge  that  contained  the  rill,  and  entered 
the  amphitheatre  of  the  bottom-land.  Its  headlong  career  was 
first  checked  by  the  sight  of  the  fire ;  then  arose  a  dark  circle 
of  men,  each  armed  and  accustomed  to  the  chase.  In  much 
less  time  than  it  has  taken  to  record  the  fact,  that  little  piece 
of  bottom-land  was  crowded  with  wolves,  deer,  and  men.  The 
headlong  impetuosity  of  the  chase  and  flight  had  prevented  the 
scent  from  acting,  and  all  were  huddled  together,  for  a  single 
instant,  in  a  sort  of  inextricable  confusion.  Brief  as  was  this 
melee,  it  sufficed  to  allow  of  a  young  hunter's  driving  his  arrow 
through  the  heart  of  the  buck,  and  enabled  others  among  the 
Indians  to  kill  several  of  the  wolves ;  some  with  arrows,  others 
with  knives,  &c.  No  rifle  was  used,  probably  from  a  wish  not 
to  give  an  alarm. 

The  wolves  were  quite  as  much  astonished  at  this  unexpected 


286  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

rencontre,  as  the  Indians.  They  were  not  a  set  of  hungry  and 
formidable  beasts,  that  famine  might  urge  to  any  pass  of  des- 
peration; but  a  pack  hunting,  like  gentlemen,  for  their  own 
amusement.  Their  headlong  speed  was  checked  less  by  the 
crowd  of  men,  than  by  the  sight  of  fire.  In  their  impetuosity, 
it  is  probable  that  they  would  have  gone  clean  through  five 
hundred  men,  but  no  wild  beast  will  willingly  encounter  fire. 
Three  or  four  of  the  chiefs,  aware  of  this  dread,  seized  brands, 
and  throwing  themselves,  without  care,  into  the  midst  of  the 
pack,  the  animals  went  howling  off,  scattering  in  all  directions. 
Unfortunately  for  its  own  welfare,  one  went  directly  through 
the  circle,  plunged  into  the  thicket  beyond,  and  made  its  way 
quite  up  to  the  fallen  tree,  on  which  the  bee-hunter,  and  the 
corporal  had  taken  their  stations.  This  was  altogether  too 
much  for  the  training,  or  for  the  philosophy  of  Hive.  Perceiv- 
ing a  recognized  enemy  rushing  toward  him,  that  noble  mastiff 
met  him  in  a  small  cleared  spot,  open-mouthed,  and  for  a  few 
moments  a  fierce  combat  was  the  consequence.  Dogs  and 
wolves  do  not  fight  in  silence,  and  loud  were  the  growls  and 
yells*  on  this  occasion.  In  vain  did  le  Bourdon  endeavor  to 
drag  his  mastiff  off;  the  animal  was  on  the  high-road  to  victory, 
when  it  is  ever  hard  to  arrest  the  steps  of  the  combatant. 
Almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  some  of  the  chiefs  rushed  toward 
the  spot,  when  the  presence  of  the  two  spectators  first  became 
known  to  them.  At  the  next  moment  the  wolf  lay  dead  at  the 
feet  of  Hive  ;  and  the  parties  stood  gazing  at  each  other,  equally 
taken  by  surprise,  and  equally  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do 
next. 

It  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  the  bee-hunter,  that  neither 
Crowsfeather,  nor  any  other  of  the  Pottawattamies,  was  present 
at  this  first  rencontre,  or  he  might  have  fallen  on  the  spot,  a 
victim  to  their  disappointed  hopes  of  drinking  at  a  whiskey- 
spring.  The  chiefs  present  were  strangers  to  le  Bourdon,  and 
they  stared  at  him,  in  a  way  to  show  that  his  person  was  equally 
unknown  to  them.  But  it  was  necessary,  now,  to  follow  the 
Indians  back  to  their  circle,  where  the  whole  party  soon  col- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  287 

lected  again,  the  wolves  having  gone  off  on  their  several  routes, 
to  put  up  some  other  animal,  and  run  him  to  death. 

During  the  whole  of  that  excited  and  tumultuous  scene, 
which  would  probably  now  be  termed  a  "stampede"  in  the 
Mexican- Am  erico-English  of  the  day,  Peter  had  not  stirred. 
Familiar  with  such  occurrences,  he  felt  the  importance  of  mani- 
festing an  unmoved  calm,  as  a  quality  most  likely  to  impress 
the  minds  of  his  companions  with  a  profound  sense  of  his 
dignity  and  self-command.  While  all  around  him  was  in  a 
tumult,  he  stood  in  his  tracks,  motionless  as  a  statue.  Even 
the  fortitude  of  the  worthy  missionary  was  shaken  by  the  wild 
tempest  that  momentarily  prevailed  ;  and  the  good  man  forgot 
the  Jews  in  his  alarm  at  wolves,  forgot  the  mighty  past,  in  his 
apprehensions  for  the  uncomfortable  and  ill-boding  present  time 
All  this,  however,  was  soon  over,  and  order,  and  quiet,  and  a 
dignified  calm  once  more  reigned  in  the  circle.  Fagots  were 
thrown  on  the  fire ;  and  the  two  captives,  or  spectators,  stood 
as  near  it,  the  observed  of  all  observers,  as  the  heat  rendered 
comfortable.  It  was  just  then  that  Crowsfeather  and  his  com- 
panions first  recognized  the  magician  of  the  whiskey-spring. 

Peter  saw  the  discovery  of  the  two  spectators  with  some 
uneasiness.  The  time  had  not  come  when  he  intended  to  strike 
his  blow  ;  and  he  had  seen  signs  among  those  Pottawattamies, 
when  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  which  had  told  him  how  little 
they  were  disposed  to  look  with  favor  on  one  who  had  so  griev- 
ously trifled  with  their  hopes.  His  first  care,  therefore,  was  to 
interpose  his  authority  and  influence  between  le  Bourdon  and 
any  project  of  revenge,  which  Crowsfeather's  young  men  might 
be  apt  to  devise,  as  soon  as  they,  too,  laid  eyes  on  the  offender. 
This  was  done  in  a  characteristic  and  wily  manner. 

"Does  my  brother  love  honey?"  asked  the  tribeless  chief  of 
the  leader  of  the  Pottawattamies  present,  who  sat  near  him, 
gazing  on  le  Bourdon  much  as  the  cat  looks  upon  the  mouse,  ere 
it  makes  it  its  prey.  "  Some  Injins  are  fond  of  that  sweet  food : 
if  my  brother  is  one  of  that  sort,  I  can  tell  him  how  to  fill  hia 
wigwam  with  honey  with  little  trouble." 


288  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

At  tliis  suggestion,  corning  from  such  a  source,  Crowsfeather 
could  not  do  less  than  express  his  thanks,  and  his  readiness  to 
hear  what  further  might  he  in  reserve  for  him.  Peter  then 
alluded  to  le  Bourdon's  art,  describing  him  as  being  the  most 
skilful  bee-hunter  of  the  West.  So  great  was  his  art  in  that 
way,  that  no  Indian  had  ever  yet  seen  his  equal.  It  was  Peter's 
intention  to  make  him  exercise  his  craft  soon,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  chiefs  and  warriors  present,  who  might  then  return  to 
their  villages,  carrying  with  them  stores  of  honey  to  gladden 
the  hearts  of  their  squaws  and  pappooses.  This  artifice  suc- 
ceeded ;  for  the  Indians  are  not  expert  in  taking  this  article  of 
food,  which  so  much  abounds  in  the  forests,  both  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  they  find  in  felling  the  trees,  and  on  account  of 
the  "angle-ing"  part  of  the  process,  which  much  exceeds  their 
skill  in  mathematics.  On  the  other  hand,  the  last  is  just  the 
sort  of  skill  a  common  white  American  would  be  likely  to 
manifest,  his  readiness  and  ingenuity  in  all  such  processes  almost 
amounting  to  an  instinct. 

Having  thus  thrown  his  mantle  around  le  Bourdon  for  the 
moment,  Peter  then  deemed  it  the  better  course,  to  finish  the 
historical  investigation  in  which  the  council  had  been  so  much 
interested,  when  the  strange  interruption  by  the  wolves  occurred. 
"With  this  view,  therefore,  he  rose  himself,  and  recalled  the 
minds  of  all  present  to  this  interesting  subject,  by  a  short 
speech.  This  he  did,  especially  to  prevent  any  premature  attack 
on  the  person  of  le  Bourdon. 

"  Brothers,'7  said  this  mysterious  chief,  "  it  is  good  for  Injins 
to  learn.  When  they  learn  a  thing,  they  know  it ;  then  they 
may  learn  another.  It  is  in  this  way  that  the  pale-faces  do ;  it 
makes  them  wise,  and  puts  it  in  their  power  to  take  away  our 
hunting-grounds.  A  man  that  knows  nothing  is  only  a  child  that 
has  grown  up  too  fast.  He  may  be  big — may  take  long  steps 
— may  be  strong  enough  to  carry  burdens — may  love  venison 
and  buffaloes'  humps  ;  but  his  size  is  only  in  the  way ;  his  steps 
he  does  not  know  where  to  direct ;  his  burdens  he  does  not 
know  how  to  choose  ;  and  he  has  to  beg  food  of  the  squaws,  in- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  289 

stead  of  carrying  it  himself  to  their  wigwams.  He  has  not 
learned  how  to  take  game.  We  must  all  learn.  It  is  right. 
When  we  have  learned  how  to  take  game,  and  how  to  strike 
the  enemy,  and  how  to  keep  the  wigwam  filled,  then  we  may 
learn  traditions.  Traditions  tell  us  of  our  fathers.  We  have 
many  traditions.  Some  are  talked  of,  even  to  the  squaws.  Some 
are  told  around  the  fires  of  the  tribes.  Some  are  known  only 
to  the  aged  chiefs.  This  is  right,  too.  Injins  ought  not  to  say 
too  much,  nor  too  little.  They  should  say  what  is  wise — what 
is  best.  But  my  brother,  the  medicine-man  of  the  pale-faces, 
says  that  our  traditions  have  not  told  us  every  thing.  Some- 
thing has  been  kept  back.  If  so,  it  is  best  to  learn  that  too. 
If  we  are  Jews,  and  not  Injins,  we  ought  to  know  it.  If  we  are 
Injins,  and  not  Jews,  our  brother  ought  to  know  it,  and  not  call 
us  by  a  wrong  name.     Let  him  speak.     We  listen." 

Here  Peter  slowly  resumed  his  seat.  As  the  missionary  un- 
derstood all  that  had  been  said,  he  next  arose,  and  proceeded  to 
make  good,  as  far  as  he  was  able,  and  in  such  language  as  his 
knowledge  of  Indian  habits  suggested,  his  theory  of  the  lost  tribes. 

"  I  wish  my  children  to.  understand,"  resumed  the  missionary, 
"  that  it  is  an  honor  to  be  a  Jew.  I  have  not  come  here  to 
lessen  the  red  men  in  their  own  eyes,  but  to  do  them  honor ;  I  see 
that  Bear's  Meat  wishes  to  say  something ;  my  ears  are  open, 
and  my  tongue  is  still." 

' '  I  thank  my  brother  for  the  opportunity  to  say  what  is  on 
my  mind,"  returned  the  chief  mentioned.  "  It  is  true  I  have 
something  to  say ;  it  is  this:  I  wish  to  ask  the  medicine-man 
if  the  pale-faces  honor  and  show  respect  to  the  Jews  V 

This  was  rather  an  awkward  question  for  the  missionary,  but 
he  was  much  too  honest  to  dissemble.  With  a  reverence  for 
truth  that  proceeded  from  his  reverence  for  the  Father  of  all  that 
is  true,  he  replied  honestly,  though  not  altogether  without  be- 
traying how  much  he  regretted  the  necessity  of  answering  at 
all.  Both  remained  standing  while  the  dialogue  proceeded ; 
or,  in  parliamentary  language,  each  may  be  said  to  have  had  tho 
floor  at  the  same  time. 
13 


290  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"My  brother  wishes  to  know  if  the  pale-faces  honor  the 
Jews,"  returned  the  missionary.  "I  wish  I  could  answer 
'yes;'  but  the  truth  forces  me  to  say  '  no.'  The  pale-faces 
have  traditions  that  make  against  the  Jews,  and  the  judgments 
of  God  weigh  heavy  on  the  children  of  Israel.  But  all  good 
Christians,  now,  look  with  friendly  eyes  on  this  dispersed  and 
persecuted  people,  and  wish  them  well.  It  will  give  the  white 
men  very  great  pleasure  to  learn  that  I  have  found  the  lost 
tribes  of  Israel  in  the  red  men  of  America." 

"  Will  my  brother  tell  us  why  this  will  give  his  people  pleas- 
ure ?  Is  it  because  they  will  be  glad  to  find  old  enemies,  poor, 
living  on  narrow  hunting-grounds,  off  which  the  villages  and 
farms  of  the  pale-faces  begin  to  push  them  still  nearer  to  the 
setting  sun  ;  and  toward  whom  the  small-pox  has  found  a  path 
to  go,  but  none  to  come  from?" 

"  Nay,  nay,  Bear's  Meat,  think  not  so  unkindly  of  us  of  the 
white  race  !  In  crossing  the  great  salt  lake,  and  in  coming  to 
this  quarter  of  the  world,  our  fathers  were  led  by  the  finger  of 
God.  We  do  but  obey  the  will  of  the  Great  Spirit,  in  pressing 
forward  into  this  wilderness,  directed  by  his  wisdom  how  to 
spread  the  knowledge  of  his  name  among  those  who,  as  yet, 
have  never  heard  it ;  or,  having  heard,  have  not  regarded  it. 
In  all  this,  the  wisest  men  are  but  babes  ;  not  being  able  to  say 
whither  they  are  to  go,  or  what  is  to  be  done." 

"  This  is  strange,"  returned  the  unmoved  Indian.  "It  is 
not  so  with  the  red  men.  Our  squaws  and  pappooses  do  know 
the  hunting-ground  of  one  tribe  from  the  hunting-ground  of 
another.  When  they  put  their  feet  on  strange  hunting-grounds, 
it  is  because  they  intended  to  go  there,  and  to  steal  game. 
This  is  sometimes  right.  If  it  is  right  to  take  the  scalp  of  an 
enemy,  it  is  right  to  get  his  deer  and  his  buffalo,  too.  But  we 
never  do  this  without  knowing  it.  If  we  did,  we  should  be 
unfit  to  go  at  large,  unfit  to  sit  in  council.  This  is  the  first 
time  I  have  heard  that  the  pale-faces  are  so  weak,  and  they 
have  such  feeble  minds,  too,  that  they  do  not  know  where  they 
go." 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  291 

"My  brother  does  not  understand  me.  No  man  can  see 
into  the  future — no  man  can  say  what  will  happen  to-morrow. 
The  Great  Spirit  only  can  tell.  It  is  for  him,  then,  to  guide  his 
children  in  their  wanderings.  "When  our  fathers  first  came  out 
of  their  canoes  upon  the  land,  on  this  side  of  the  great  salt 
lake,  not  one  among  them  knew  any  thing  of  this  country  be- 
tween the  great  lakes  of  sweet  water.  They  did  not  know  that 
^ed  men  lived  here.  The  Great  Spirit  did  know,  and  intended 
then,  that  I  should  this  night  stand  up  in  this  council,  and 
speak  of  his  power  and  of  his  name,  and  do  him  reverence.  It 
was  the  Great  Spirit  that  put  it  into  my  mind  to  come  among 
the  Indians ;  and  it  is  the  Great  Spirit  who  has  led  me,  step  by 
step,  as  warriors  move  toward  the  graves  of  their  fathers,  to 
make  the  discovery,  that  the  Indians  are,  in  truth,  the  children 
of  Israel,  a  part  of  his  own  chosen  and  once  much-favored 
people.  Let  me  ask  my  friends  one  or  two  questions.  Do  not 
your  traditions  say  that  your  fathers  once  came  from  a  far-off 
land?" 

Bear's  Meat  now  took  his  seat,  not  choosing  to  answer  a 
question  of  this  nature,  in  the  presence  of  a  chief  so  much  re- 
spected as  Peter.  He  preferred  to  let  the  last  take  up  the 
dialogue  where  he  now  saw  fit  to  abandon  it.  As  the  other 
very  well  understood  the  reason  of  this  sudden  movement,  he 
quietly  assumed  the  office  of  spokesman ;  the  whole  affair  pro- 
ceeding much  as  if  there  had  been  no  change. 

"  Our  traditions  do  tell  us  that  our  fathers  came  from  a  far- 
off  land,"  answered  Peter,  without  rising. 

"  I  thought  so  ! — I  thought  so  !"  exclaimed  the  simple-mind- 
ed and  confiding  missionary.  "  How  wonderful  are  the  ways 
of  God !  Yes,  my  brother,  Judea  is  a  far-off  land,  and  your 
traditions  say  that  your  fathers  came  from  such  a  distance  ! 
This,  then,  is  something  proved.  Do  not  your  traditions  say, 
that  once  your  tribes  were  more  in  favor  with  the  Great  Spirit 
than  they  are  now  V 

"  Our  traditions  do  say  this:  once  our  tribes  did  not  see 
the  face  of  the  Manitou  looking  dark  upon  them,  as  it  now  does. 


292  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

That  was  before  the  pale-faces  came  in  their  big  canoes,  across 
the  great  salt  lake,  to  drive  the  Indians  from  their  hunting « 
grounds.  It  was  when  the  small-pox  had  not  found  the  path  to 
their  villages.  "When  fire-water  was  unknown  to  them,  and  no 
Indian  had  ever  burned  his  throat  with  it." 

"  Oh,  but  I  speak  a  time  much  more  distant  than  that. 
Of  a  time  when  your  prophets  stood  face  to  face  with  God,  and 
talked  with  the  Creator.  Since  that  day  a  great  change  has 
come  over  your  people.  Then  your  color  was  light,  like  that 
of  the  fairest  and  handsomest  of  the  Circassian  race  ;  now,  it 
has  become  red.  When  even  the  color  is  changed,  it  is  not 
wonderful  that  men  should  no  longer  be  the  same  in  other  par- 
ticulars. Yes;  once  all  the  races  of  men  were  of  the  same  color 
and  origin. " 

' '  This  is  not  what  our  traditions  say.  We  have  heard  from 
our  fathers  that  the  Great  Spirit  made  men  of  different  colors ; 
some  he  made  light,  like  the  pale-faces ;  some  red,  like  the 
Injins;  some  black,  like  the  pale-faces'  slaves.  To  some  he 
gave  high  noses ;  to  some  low  noses  ;  to  some  flat  noses.  To 
the  pale-faces  he  gave  eyes  of  many  colors.  This  is  the  reason 
why  they  see  so  many  things,  and  in  so  many  different  ways. 
To  the  red  men  he  gave  eyes  of  the  same  color,  and  they 
always  see  things  of  the  same  color.  To  a  red  man  there  is  no 
change.  Our  fathers  have  always  been  red.  This  we  know. 
If  them  Jews,  of  whom  my  brother  speaks,  were  ever  white, 
they  have  not  been  our  fathers.  We  tell  this  to  the  medicine- 
man, that  he  may  know  it,  too.  Yfe  do  not  wish  to  lead  him 
on  a  crooked  path,  or  to  speak  to  him  with  a  forked  tongue. 
What  we  have  said,  is  so.  Now,  the  road  is  open  to  the  wig- 
wam of  the  pale-faces,  and  we  wish  them  safe  on  their  journey 
home.  We  Injins  have  a  council  to  hold  around  this  fire,  and 
will  stay  longer." 

At  this  plain  intimation  that  their  presence  was  no  longer 
desirable,  it  became  necessary  for  them  to  depart.  The  mis- 
sionary, filled  with  zeal,  was  reluctant  to  go  ;  for,  in  his  eyes, 
the  present  communications  with  the  savages  promised  him  not 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  298 

roily  the  conversion  of  pagans,  but  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  ! 
Nevertheless,  he  was  compelled  to  comply  ;  and  when  le  Bour- 
don and  the  corporal  took  their  departure,  he  turned,  and  pro- 
nounced in  a  solemn  tone  the  Christian  benediction  on  the  as- 
sembly. The  meaning  of  this  last  impressive  office  was  under- 
stood by  most  of  the  chiefs,  and  they  rose  as  one  man,  in 
acknowledgment. 

The  three  white  men,  on  retiring  from  the  circle,'  held  their 
way  toward  Castle  Meal.  Hive  followed  his  master,  having 
come  out  of  the  combat  but  little  injured.  As  they  got  to  a 
point  where  a  last  look  could  be  had  of  the  bottom-land  of  the 
council,  each  turned  to  see  what  was  now  in  the  course  of  pro- 
ceeding. The  fire  glimmered  just  enough  to  show  the  circle  of 
dark  faces,  but  not  an  Indian  spoke  or  moved.  There  they  all 
sat,  patiently  waiting  for  the  moment  when  the  "strangers'7  might 
"withdraw"  to  a  sufficient  distance,  to  permit  them  to  proceed 
with  their  own  private  affairs  without  fear  of  interruption. 

"This  has  been  to  me  a  most  trying  scene,"  observed  the 
missionary,  as  the  three  pursued  their  way  toward  the  "  garri- 
son." "How  hard  it  is  to  convince  men  against  their  wishes  ! 
Now,  I  am  as  certain  as  a  man  can  be,  that  every  one  of  these 
Injins  is  in  fact  a  Jew  ;  and  yet,  you  have  seen  how  small  has 
been  my  success  in  persuading  them  to  be  of  the  right  way  of 
thinking,  on  this  subject." 

"  I  have  always  noticed  that  men  stick  even  to  their  defects, 
when  they're  nat'ral,"  returned  the  bee-hunter.  "  Even  a  nig- 
ger will  stand  up  for  his  color,  and  why  shouldn't  an  Injin. 
You  began  wrong,  parson.  Had  you  just  told  these  chiefs  that 
they  were  Jews,  they  might  have  stood  that,  poor  creatures, 
for  they  hardly  know  how  mankind  looks  upon  a  Jew  ;  but 
you  went  to  work  to  skin  them,  in  a  lump,  making  so  many 
poor,  wishy-washy  pale-faces  of  all  the  redskins,  in  a  body. 
You  and  I  may  fancy  a  white  face  better  than  one  of  any  other 
color  ;  but  nature  colors  the  eye  when  it  colors  the  body,  and 
there's  not  a  nigger  in  America  who  doesn't  think  black  the 
pink  of  beauty." 


294  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"  Perhaps  it  was  proceeding  too  fast  to  say  any  thing  about 
the  change  of  color,  Bourdon.  But  what  can  a  Christian  min- 
ister do,  unless  he  tell  the  truth  ?  Adam  could  have  been  but 
of  one  color ;  and  all  the  races  on  earth,  one  excepted,  must 
have  changed  from  that  one  color." 

"  Ay,  and  my  life  on  it,  that  all  the  races  on  'arth  believe 
that  one  color  to  have  been  just  that  which  has  fallen  to  the 
luck  of  each  particular  shade.  Hang  me  if  I  should  like  to  be 
persuaded  out  of  my  color,  any  more  than  these  Injins.  In 
America,  color  goes  for  a  great  deal ;  and  it  may  count  for  as 
much  with  an  Injin  as  among  us  whites.  No,  no,  parson ;  you 
should  have  begun  with  persuading  these  savages  into  the  notion 
that  they're  Jews ;  if  you  could  get  along  with  that,  the  rest 
might  be  all  the  easier.57 

"  You  speak  of  the  Jews,  not  as  if  you  considered  them  a 
chosen  people  of  the  Lord,  but  as  a  despised  and  hateful  race. 
This  is  not  right,  Bourdon.  I  know  that  Christians  are  thus 
apt  to  regard  them  ;  but  it  does  not  tell  well  for  their  charity 
or  their  knowledge." 

"  I  know  very  little  about  them,  Parson  Amen ;  not  being 
certain  of  ever  having  seen  a  Jew  in  my  life.  Still,  I  will  own 
that  I  have  a  sort  of  grudge  against  them,  though  I  can  hardly 
tell  you  why.  Of  one  thing  I  feel  certain — no  man  breathing 
should  ever  persuade  me  into  the  notion  that  Fm  a  Jew,  lost 
or  found ;  ten  tribes  or  twenty.  "What  say  you,  corporal,  to 
this  idea  ?" 

"  Just  as  you  say,  Bourdon.  Jews,  Turks,  and  infidels,  I  de- 
spise :  so  was  I  brought  up,  and  so  I  shall  remain." 

"  Can  either  of  you  tell  me  ivhy  you  look  in  this  uncharit- 
able light,  on  so  many  of  your  fellow- creatures?  It  cannot  bo 
Christianity,  for  such  are  not  its  teachings  or  feelings.  Nor  is 
cither  of  you  very  remarkable  for  his  observance  of  the  laws  of 
God,  as  they  have  been  revealed  to  Christian  people.  My 
heart  yearns  toward  these  Injins,  who  are  infidels,  instead  of 
entertaining  any  of  the  feelings  that  the  corporal  has  just  ex- 
pressed." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  295 

"I  wish  there  were  fewer  of  them,  and  that  them  few  were 
farther  from  Castle  Meal,"  put  in  le  Bourdon,  with  point.  "  I 
have  known  all  along  that  Peter  meant  to  have  a  great  council ; 
but  will  own,  now  that  I  have  seen  something  of  it,  I  do  not 
find  it  quite  as  much  to  my  mind  as  I  had  expected  it  would 
be." 

"  There's  a  strong  force  on  'em,"  said  the  corporal,  "and  a 
hard  set  be  they  to  look  at.  When  a  man's  a  young  soldier, 
all  this  paint,  and  shaving  of  heads,  and  rings  in  noses  and 
ears,  makes  some  impression ;  but  a  campaign  or  two  ag'in 
the  fellows  soon  brings  all  down  to  one  color  and  one  uniform, 
if  their  naked  hides  can  be  so  called.  I  told  'em  off,  Bourdon, 
and  reconn'itred  'em  pretty  well,  while  they  was  a  making 
speeches  ;  and,  in  my  judgment,  we  can  hold  good  the  garrison 
ag'in  'em  all,  if  so  be  we  do  not  run  short  of  water.  Provisions 
and  water  is  what  a  body  may  call  fundamentals,  in  a  siege." 

"  I  hope  we  shall  have  no  need  of  force — nay,  I  feel  persuaded 
there  will  not  be,"  said  Parson  Amen.  "  Peter  is  our  friend; 
and  his  command  over  these  savages  is  wonderful !  Never  be- 
fore have  I  seen  red  men  so  completely  under  the  control  of  a 
chief.  Your  men  at  Fort  Dearborn,  corporal,  were  scarcely 
more  under  the  orders  of  their  officers,  than  these  redskins  are 
under  the  orders  of  this  chief!" 

"I  will  not  go  to  compare  rig'lars  with  Injins,  Mr.  Parson," 
answered  the  corporal,  a  little  stiffly.  "  They  be  not  of  the 
same  natur'  at  all,  and  ought  not  to  be  put  on  a  footing,  in  any 
partic'lar.  These  savages  may  obey  their  orders,  after  a  fash- 
ion of  their  own ;  but  I  should  like  to  see  them  manoeuvre 
under  fire.  I've  fit  Injins  fourteen  times,  in  my  day,  and  have 
never  seen  a  decent  line,  or  a  good,  honest,  manly,  stand-up 
charge,  made  by  the  best  among  'em,  in  any  field,  far  or  near. 
Trees  and  covers  is  necessary  to  their  constitutions,  just  as 
sartain  as  a  deer  chased  will  take  to  water  to  throw  off  the 
scent.  Put  'em  up  with  the  baggonet,  and  they'll  not  stand  a 
minute." 

"  How    should    they,    corporal,"   interrupted    le  Bourdon 


296  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

laughing,  "  when  they've  no  baggonets  of  their  own  to  make  a 
stand  with  ?  You  put  one  in  mind  of  what  my  father  used  to 
say.  He  was  a  soldier  in  revolution  times,  and  sarved  his  seven 
years  with  Washington.  The  English  used  to  boast  that  the 
Americans  wouldn't  '  stand  up  to  the  rack,'  if  the  baggonet  was 
set  to  work  ;  *  but  this  was  before  we  got  our  own  toothpicks,' 
said  the  old  man.  '  As  soon  as  they  gave  us  baggonets,  too, 
there  was  no  want  of  standing  up  to  the  work.'  It  seems  to 
me,  corporal,  you  overlook  the  fact  that  Injins  carry  no  bag- 
gonets." 

"  Every  army  uses  its  own  weapons.  If  an  Injin  prefers  his 
knife  and  his  tomahawk  to  a  baggonet,  it  is  no  affair  of  mine. 
I  speak  of  a  charge  as  I  see  it ;  and  the  soldier  who  relies  on  a 
tomahawk  instead  of  a  baggonet,  should  stand  in  his  tracks, 
and  give  tomahawk  play.  No,  no,  Bourdon,  seeing  is  believ- 
ing. These  redskins  can  do  nothing  with  our  people,  when 
oui  people  is  properly  regimented,  wTell  officered,  and  thorough 
Ij  drilled.  They're  skeary  to  new  beginners — that  I  must 
acknowledge — but  beyond  that  I  set  them  down  as  nothing 
remarkable  as  military  men." 

"  Good  or  bad,- 1  wish  there  wTere  fewer  of  them,  and  that 
they  were  farther  off.  This  man  Peter  is  a  mystery  to  me  : 
sometimes  he  seems  quite  friendly;  then,  ag'in,  he  appears  just 
ready  to  take  all  our  scalps.  Do  you  know  much  of  his  past 
history,  Mr.  Amen?" 

"  Not  as  much  as  I  wish  I  did,"  the  missionary  replied.  "  No 
one  can  tell  me  aught  concerning  Peter,  beyond  the  fact  of  his 
being  a  sort  of  a  prophet,  and  a  chief  of  commanding  influence. 
Even  his  tribe  is  unknown ;  a  circumstance  that  points  us  to 
the  ancient  history  of  the  Jews  for  the  explanation.  It  is  my 
own  opinion  that  Peter  is  of  the  race  of  Aaron,  and  that  he  is 
designed  by  Divine  Providence  to  play  an  important  part  in 
the  great  events  on  which  wo  touch.  All  that  is  wanting  is,  to 
persuade  him  into  this  belief,  himself.  Once  persuade  a  man 
that  he  is  intended  to  be  something,  and  your  work  is  half  done 
to  your  hands.     But  the  world  is  so  full  of  ill-digested  and  ran- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  297 

dorn  theories,  that  truth  has  as  much  as  it  can  do  to  obtain  a 
sober  and  patient  hearing !" 

Thus  is  it  with  poor  human  nature.  Let  a  man  get  a  crotchet 
into  his  head — -however  improbable  it  may  be,  however  little 
supported  by  reason  or  fact,  however  ridiculous,  indeed — and 
L.e  becomes  indisposed  to  receive  any  evidence  but  that  which 
favors  his  theory ;  to  see  any  truths  but  such  as  he  fancies  will 
harmonize  with  his  truths  ;  or -to  allow  of  any  disturbing  causes 
in  the  great  workings  of  his  particular  philosophy.  This  notion 
of  Parson  Amen's  concerning  the  origin  of  the  North  American 
savage,  did  not  originate  with  that  simple-minded  enthusiast, 
by  any  means.  In  this  way  are  notions  formed  and  nurtured. 
The  missionary  had  read  somewhat  concerning  the  probability 
that  the  American  Indians  were  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel ;  and 
possessed  with  the  idea,  every  thing  he  saw  was  tortured  into 
evidence  in  support  of  his  theory.  There  is  just  as  much  rea- 
son for  supposing  that  any,  and  all,  of  the  heathen  savages  that 
are  scattered  up  and  down  the  earth  have  this  origin,  as  to 
ascribe  it  to  our  immediate  tribes ;  but  to  this  truth  the  good 
parson  was  indifferent,  simply  because  it  did  not  come  within 
the  circle  of  his  particular  belief. 

Thus,  too,  was  it  with  the  corporal.  Unless  courage,  and 
other  military  qualities,  were  manifested  precisely  in  the  way  in 
which  he  had  been  trained,  they  were  not  courage  and  military 
qualities  at  all.  Every  virtue  has  its  especial  and  conventional 
accessories,  according  to  this  school  of  morals ;  nothing  of  the 
sort  remaining  as  it  came  from  above,  in  the  simple  abstract 
qualities  of  right  and  wrong.  On  such  feelings  and  principles 
as  these,  do  men  get  to  be  dogmatical,  narrow-minded,  and 
conceited ! 

Our  three  white  men  pursued  their  way  back  to  the  "garri- 
son," conversing  as  they  went,  much  in  the  manner  they  did  in 
the  dialogue  we  have  just  recorded.  Neither  Parson  Amen  nor 
the  corporal  seemed  to  apprehend  any  thing,  notwithstanding 
the  extraordinary  scene  in  which  one  had  been  an  actor,  and  of 
which  the  other  had  been  a  witness.     Their  wonder  and  appre- 


298  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

hensions,  no  doubt,  were  much  mitigated  by  the  fact,  that  it 
was  understood  Peter  was  to  meet  a  large  collection  of  the 
chiefs  in  the  openings,  and  the  minds  of  all  were,  more  or  less, 
prepared  to  see  some  such  assemblage  as  had  that  night  got 
together.  The  free  manner  in  which  the  mysterious  chief  led 
the  missionary  to  the  circle,  was,  of  itself,  some  proof  that  he 
did  not  desire  concealment ;  and  even  le  Bourdon  admitted, 
when  they  came  to  discuss  the  details,  that  this  was  a  circum- 
stance that  told  materially  in  favor  of  the  friendliness  of  his 
intentions.  Still,  the  bee-hunter  had  his  doubts ;  and  most  sin- 
cerely did  he  wish  that  all  in  Castle  Meal,  Blossom  in  particular, 
were  safe  within  the  limits  of  civilized  settlements. 

On  reaching  the  "garrison,"  all  was  safe.  Whiskey  Centre 
watched  the  gate — a  sober  man,  now,  perforce,  if  not  by  inclina- 
tion ;  for  being  in  the  openings,  in  this  respect,  is  like  being  at 
sea  with  an  empty  spirit-room.  He  was  aware  that  several  had 
passed  out,  but  was  surprised  to  learn  that  Peter  was  of  the 
number.  That  gate  Peter  had  not  passed,  of  a  certainty  ;  and 
how  else  he  could  quit  the  palisades  was  not  easily  understood. 
It  was  possible  to  climb  over  them,  it  is  true ;  but  the  feat 
would  be  attended  with  so  great  an  exertion,  and  would  be  so 
likely  to  lead  to  a  noise  which  would  expose  the  effort,  that  all 
had  great  difficulty  in  believing  a  man  so  dignified  and  reserved 
in  manner  as  this  mysterious  chief,  would  be  apt  to  resort  to 
such  means  of  quitting  the  place. 

As  for  the  Chippewa,  Ger shorn  reported  his  return  a  few 
minutes  before ;  and  the  bee-hunter  entered,  to  look  for  that 
tried  friend,  as  soon  as  he  learned  the  fact.  He  found  Pigeons- 
wing  laying  aside  his  accoutrements,  previously  to  lying  down 
to  take  his  rest. 

"So,  Chippewa,  you  have  come  back,  have  you!"  exclaimed 
le  Bourdon.  "So  many  of  your  redskin  brethren  are  about, 
that  I  didn't  expect  to  see  you  again  for  these  two  or  three 
days." 

"No  want  to  eat,  den,  eh?  How  you  all  eat,  if  hunter 
don't  do  he  duty?     S'pose  squaw  don't  cook  vittles,  you  no 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  299 

like  it,  ell  ?  Juss  so  wid  hunter — no  kill  vittles,  don't  like  it 
nudder." 

"This  is  true  enough.  Still,  so  many  of  your  people  are 
about,  just  now,  that  I  thought  it  probable  you  might  wish  to 
remain  outside  with  them  for  a  day  or  two." 

"Sow  know  red  man  about,  eh?  You  see  him — you  count 
him,  eh.*" 

"  I  have  seen  something  like  fifty,  and  may  say  I  counted 
that  many.  They  were  all  chiefs,  however,  and  I  take  it  for 
granted,  a  goodly  number  of  common  warriors  are  not  far  off, 
Am  I  right,  Pigeonswing  ?" 

"  S'pose  don't  know — den,  can't  tell.  Only  tell  what  he 
know." 

"  Sometimes  an  Injin  guesses,  and  comes  as  near  the  truth  as 
a  white  man  who  has  seen  the  thing  with  his  own  eyes." 

Pigeonswing  made  no  answer ;  though  le  Bourdon  fancied, 
from  his  manner,  that  he  had  really  something  on  his  mind, 
and  that,  too,  of  importance,  which  he  wished  to  communi- 
cate." 

"I  think  you  might  tell  me  some  news  that  I  should  like  to 
hear,  Chippewa,  if  you  was  so  minded.' ' 

"  Why  you  stay  here,  eh?"  demanded  the  Indian,  abruptly. 
"  Got  plenty  honey — bess  go  home,  now.  Always  bess  go 
home,  when  hunt  up.  Home  good  place,  when  hunter  well 
tired." 

"  My  home  is  here,  in  the  openings,  Pigeonswing.  When  I 
go  into  the  settlements,  I  do  little  but  loaf  about  among  the 
farm-houses  on  the  Detroit  Eiver,  having  neither  squaw  nor 
wigwam  of  my  own  to  go  to.  I  like  this  place  well  enough, 
if  your  red  brethren  will  let  me  keep  it  in  peace." 

"Dis  bad  place  for  pale-face,  juss  now.  Better  go  home, 
dan  stay  in  openin'.  If  don't  know  short  path  to  Detroit,  I 
show  you.  Bess  go,  soon  as  can ;  and  bess  go  alone.  No  good 
to  be  trouble  wid  squaw,  when  in  hurry." 

The  countenance  of  le  Bourdon  changed  at  this  last  intima- 
tion ;  though  the   Indian  might  not  have  observed  it  in  the 


300  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

darkness.     After  a  brief  pause,  the  first  answered  in  a  very  de- 
termined way. 

"I  believe  I  understand  you,  Chippewa,"  lie  said.  "I  shall 
do  nothing  of  the  sort,  however.  If  the  squaws  can't  go,  too, 
I  shall  not  quit  them.  Would  you  desert  your  squaws  because 
you  thought  them  in  trouble  ?" 

"  An't  your  squaw  yet.  Bess  not  have  squaw  at  all,  when 
openin'  so  full  of  Injin.  Where  you  fink  is  two  buck  I  shoot 
dis  mornin',  eh?  Skin  'em,  cut  'em  up,  hang  'em  on  tree, 
where  wolf  can't  get  'em.  Well,  go  on  arter  anudder ;  kill 
him,  too.  Dere  he  is,  inside  of  palisade,  but  no  tudder  two. 
He  bot,  gone,  when  I  get  back  to  tree.  Two  good  buck  as  ever 
see  !     How  you  like  dat,  eh  ?" 

"  I  care  very  little  about  it,  since  we  have  food  enough,  and 
are  not  likely  to  want.  So  the  wolves  got  your  venison  from 
the  trees,  after  all  your  care ;  ha  !  Pigeonswing." 

"  Wolf  don't  touch  him — wolf  can't  touch  him.  Moccasin 
been  under  tree.  See  him  mark.  Bess  do  as  I  tell  you ;  go 
home,  soon  as  ever  can.  Short  path  to  Detroit ;  an't  two  hun- 
dred pale-face  mile." 

"I  see  how  it  is,  Pigeonswing;  I  see  how  it  is,  and  thank 
you  for  this  hint,  while  I  honor  your  good  faith  to  your  own 
people.  But  I  cannot  go  to  Detroit,  in  the  first  place,  for  that 
town  and  fort  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  It 
might  be  possible  for  a  canoe  to  get  past  in  the  night,  and  to 
work  its  way  through  into  Lake  Erie  ;  but  I  cannot  quit  my 
friends.  If  you  can  put  us  all  in  the  way  of  getting  away 
from  this  spot,  I  shall  be  ready  to  enter  into  the  scheme. 
Why  can't  we  all  get  into  the  canoe,  and  go  down  stream,  as 
soon  as  another  night  sets  in  ?  Before  morning  we  could  be 
twenty  miles  on  our  road." 

"  No  do  any  good,"  returned  Pigeonswing,  coldly.  "If 
can't  go  alone,  can't  go  at  all.  Squaw  no  keep  up,  when  so 
many  be  on  trail.  No  good  to  try  canoe.  Catch  you  in  two 
days — p'raps  one.  Well,  I  go  to  sleep — can't  keep  eye  open 
all  night." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


SOI 


Hereupon,  Pigeonswing  coolly  repaired  to  his  skins,  lay  down, 
and  was  soon  fast  asleep.  The  bee-hunter  was  fain  to  do  the 
same,  the  night  being  now  far  advanced ;  but  he  lay  awake  a 
long  time,  thinking  of  the  hint  he  had  received,  and  pondering 
on  the  nature  of  the  danger  which  menaced  the  security  of  the 
family.  At  length,  sleep  asserted  its  power  over  even  him,  and 
the  place  lay  in  the  deep  stillness  of  night. 


302  THE     OAK     OPENINGS, 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


'  And  stretching  out,  on  either  hand, 
O'er  all  that  wide  and  unshorn  land, 
Till  weary  of  its  gorgeousness, 
The  aching  and  the  dazzled  eye 
Ecsts,  gladdened,  on  the  calm,  blue  sky.1' 

WlIITTIEK. 


No  other  disturbance  occurred  in  the  course  of  the  night. 
With  the  dawn,  le  Bourdon  was  again  stirring ;  and  as  he  left 
the  palisades  to  repair  to  the  run,  in  order  to  make  his  ablu- 
tions, he  saw  Peter  returning  to  Castle  Meal.  The  two  met ; 
but  no  allusion  was  made  to  the  manner  in  which  the  night  had 
passed.  The  chief  paid  his  salutations  courteously ;  and,  instead 
of  repairing  to  his  skins,  he  joined  le  Bourdon,  seemingly  as 
little  inclined  to  seek  for  rest,  as  if  just  arisen  from  his  lair. 
When  the  bee-hunter  left  the  spring,  this  mysterious  Indian, 
for  the  first  time,  spoke  of  business. 

"  My  brother  wanted  to-day  to  show  Injinhow  to  find  honey," 
said  Peter,  as  he  and  Bourdon  walked  toward  the  palisades, 
within  which  the  whole  family  was  now  moving.  "  I  nebber 
see  honey  find,  myself,  ole  as  I  be." 

"  I  shall  be  very  willing  to  teach  your  chiefs  my  craft,"  an- 
swered the  bee-hunter,  "and  this  so  much  the  more  readily, 
because  I  do  not  expect  to  pracfr/se  it  much  longer,  myself;  not 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  at  least." 

"How  dat  happen? — expec'  go  away  soon?"  demanded 
Peter,  whose  keen,  restless  eye  would,  at  one  instant,  seem  to 
read  his  companion's  soul,  and  then  would  glance  off  to  some 
distant  object,  as  if  conscious  of  its  own  startling  and  fiery  ex- 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  303 

pression.  "  Now  Br'ish  got  Detroit,  where  my  broder  go  ? 
Bess  stay  here,  I  fink." 

"I  shall  not  be  in  a  hurry,  Peter;  but  my  season  will  soon 
be  up,  and  I  must  get  ahead  of  the  bad  weather,  you  know, 
or  a  bark  canoe  will  have  but  a  poor  time  of  it  on  Lake  Huron. 
When  am  I  to  meet  the  chiefs,  to  give  them  a  lesson  in  finding 
bees  ?" 

"Tell  by-'em-by.  No  hurry  for  dat.  Want  to  sleep  fuss. 
See  so  much  better,  when  I  open  eye.  So  you  t'ink  of  makhr 
journey  on  long  path.  If  can't  go  to  Detroit,  where  can  go 
to?" 

"My  proper  home  is  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the  other  side  of 
Lake  Erie..  It  is  a  long  path,  and  I'm  not  certain  of  getting 
safely  over  it  in  these  troubled  times.  Perhaps  it  would  be 
best  for  me,  however,  to  shape  at  once  for  Ohio ;  if  in  that  state 
I  might  find  my  way  round  the  end  of  Erie,  and  so  go  the  whole 
distance  by  land." 

The  bee-hunter  said  this,  by  way  of  throwing  dust  into  the 
Indian's  eyes,  for  he  had  not  the  least  intention  of  travelling  in 
the  direction  named.  It  is  true,  it  was  his  most  direct  course, 
and  the  one  that  prudence  would  point  out  to  him,  under  all 
the  circumstances,  had  he  been  alone.  But  le  Bourdon  was  no 
longer  alone — in  heart  and  feelings,  at  least.  Margery  now 
mingled  with  all  his  views  for  the  future;  and  he  could  no 
more  think  of  abandoning  her  in  her  present  situation,  than  he 
could  of  offering  his  own  person  to  the  savages  for  a  sacrifice. 
It  was  idle  to  think  of  attempting  such  a  journey  in  company 
with  the  females,  and  most  of  all  to  attempt  it  in  defiance  of 
the  ingenuity,  perseverance,  and  hostility  of  the  Indians.  The 
trail  could  not  be  concealed ;  and,  as  for  speed,  a  party  of  the 
young  men  of  the  wilderness  would  certainly  travel  two  miles 
to  Margery's  one. 

Le  Bourdon,  notwithstanding  Pigeons  wing's  remonstrances, 
still  had  his  eye  on  the  Kalamazoo.  He  remembered  the  say- 
ing, "that  water  leaves  no  trail,"  and  was  not  without  hopes 
of  reaching  the  lake  again,  where  he  felt  he  should  be  in  com- 


304  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

parative  security  ;  his  own  canoe,  as  well  as  that  of  Gcrshom, 
being  large,  well  fitted,  and  not  altogether  nnsuited  to  those 
waters  in  the  summer  months.  As  it  would  be  of  the  last  im- 
portance, however,  to  get  several  hours'  start  of  the  Indians,  in 
the  event  of  his  having  recourse  to  such  a  mode  of  flight,  it  was 
of  the  utmost  importance  also  to  conceal  his  intentions,  and,  if 
possible,  to  induce  Peter  to  imagine  his  eyes  were  turned  in 
another  direction. 

"  Well,  s'pose  go  dat  way,'5  answered  the  chief,  quietly,  as 
if  suspecting  no  artifice.  "Set  'bout  him  by-'em-by.  To-day 
muss  teach  Injin  how  to  find  honey.  Dat  make  him  good 
friend ;  and  maybe  he  help  my  pale-face  broders  back  to  deir 
country.  Been  better  for  ebbery  body,  if  none  come  here,  at 
all." 

Thus  ended  the  discourse  for  that  moment.  Peter  was  not 
fond  of  much  talking,  when  he  had  not  his  great  object  in  view, 
but  rather  kept  his  mind  occupied  in  observation.  For  the 
next  hour,  every  one  in  and  about  Castle  Meal  was  engaged  in 
the  usual  morning  avocations,  that  of  breaking  their  fasts  in- 
cluded ;  and  then  it  was  understood  that  all  were  to  go  forth 
to  meet  the  chiefs,  that  le  Bourdon  might  give  a  specimen  of 
his  craft. 

One,  ignorant  of  the  state  of  political  affairs  on  the  American 
continent,  and  who  was  not  aware  of  the  vicinity  of  savages, 
would  have  seen  nothing  that  morning,  as  the  party  proceeded 
on  its  little  excursion,  in  and  around  that  remote  spot,  but  a 
picture  of  rural  tranquillity  and  peace.  A  brighter  day  never 
poured  its  glories  on  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  and  the  openings, 
and  the  glades,  and  even  the  dark  and  denser  forests,  were  all' 
bathed  in  the  sunlight,  as  that  orb  is  known  to  illuminate 
objects  in  the  softer  season  of  the  year,  and  in  the  forty-third 
degree  of  latitude.  Even  the  birds  appeared  to  rejoice  in  the 
beauties  of  the  time,  and  sang  and  fluttered  among  the  oaks, 
in  numbers  greater  than  common.  Nature  usually  observes  a 
stern  fitness  in  her  adaptation  of  means  to  ends.  Birds  are  to 
be  found  in  the  forests,  on  the  prairies,  and  in  the  still  unten- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  305 

anted  openings  of  the  west — and  often  in  countless  numbers ; 
more  especially  those  birds  which  fly  in  flocks,  and  love  the 
security  of  unoccupied  regions — unoccupied  by  man  is  meant 
— wherein  to  build  their  nests,  obey  the  laws  of  their  instincts, 
and  fulfil  their  destinies.  Thus,  myriads  of  pigeons,  and  ducks, 
and  geese,  etc.,  are  to  be  found  in  the  virgin  woods,  while  the 
companionable  and  friendly  robin,  the  little  melodious  wren, 
the  thrush,  the  lark,  the  swallow,  the  marten,  and  all  those 
pleasant  little  winged  creatures,  that  flit  about  our  dwellings 
and  grounds,  and  seem  to  be  sent  by  Providence,  expressly  to 
chant  their  morning  and  evening  hymns  to  God  in  our  ears, 
most  frequent  the  peopled  districts.  It  has  been  said  by  Euro- 
peans that  the  American  birds  are  mute,  in  comparison  with 
those  of  the  Old  World.  This  is  true,  to  a  certain  extent,  as 
respects  those  which  are  properly  called  forest  birds,  which  do, 
in  general,  appear  to  partake  of  the  sombre  character  that 
marks  the  solemn  stillness  of  their  native  haunts.  It  is  not 
true,  however,  with  the  birds  which  live  in  our  fields,  and 
grounds,  and  orchards,  each  of  which  sings  its  song  of  praise, 
and  repeats  its  calls  and  its  notes,  as  richly  and  as  pleasantly  to 
the  ear,  as  the  birds  of  other  lands.  One  large  class,  indeed, 
possesses  a  faculty  that  enables  it  to  repeat  every  note  it  has 
ever  heard,  even  to  some  of  the  sounds  of  quadrupeds.  Nor  is 
this  done  in  the  discordant  tones  of  the  parrot ;  but  in  octaves, 
and  trills,  and  in  rich  contra-altos,  and  all  the  other  pleasing 
intonations  known  to  the  most  gifted  of  the  feathered  race. 
Thus  it  is,  that  one  American  mocking-bird  can  outsing  all  the 
birds  of  Europe  united. 

It  seemed  that  morning  as  if  every  bird  that  was  accustomed 
to  glean  its  food  from  the  neighborhood  of  Castle  Meal,  was  on 
the  wing,  and  ready  to  accompany  the  party  that  now  sallied 
forth  to  catch  the  bee.  This  party  consisted  of  le  Bourdon, 
himself,  as  its  chief  and  leader ;  of  Peter,  the  missionary,  and 
the  corporal.  Margery,  too,  went  along ;  for,  as  yet,  she  had 
never  seen  an  exhibition  of  Boden's  peculiar  skill.  As  for 
Gershom  and  his  wife,  they  remained  behind,  to  make  ready 


306  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

the  noon-tide  meal ;  while  the  Chippewa  took  his  accoutre- 
ments, and  again  sallied  out  on  a  hunt.  The  whole  time  of 
this  Indian  appeared  to  be  thus  taken  up ;  though,  in  truth, 
venison  and  bear's  meat  both  abounded,  and  there  was  much 
less  necessity  for  those  constant  efforts  than  he  wished  to  make 
it  appear.  In  good  sooth,  more  than  half  his  time  was  spent  in 
making  those  observations,  which  had  led  to  the  advice  he  had 
been  urging  on  his  friend,  the  bee-hunter,  in  order  to  induce 
him  to  fly.  Had  Pigeonswing  better  understood  Peter,  and 
had  he  possessed  a  clearer  insight  into  the  extent  and  magni- 
tude of  his  plans  of  retributive  vengeance,  it  is  not  probable  his 
uneasiness,  at  the  moment,  would  have  been  so  great,  or  the 
urgency  for  an  immediate  decision  on  the  part  of  le  Bourdon, 
would  have  appeared  as  urgently  pressing  as  it  now  seemed  to 
be. 

The  bee-hunter  took  his  way  to  a  spot  that  was  at  some  dis- 
tance from  his  habitation,  a  small  prairie  of  circular  form,  that 
is  now  generally  known  in  that  region  of  the  country,  by  the 
name  of  Prairie  Round.  Three  hours  were  necessary  to  reach 
it,  and  this  so  much  the  more,  because  Margery's  shorter  steps 
were  to  be  considered.  Margery,  however,  was  no  laggard  on 
a  path.  Young,  active,  light  of  foot,  and  trained  in  exertions 
of  this  nature,  her  presence  did  not  probably  retard  the  arrival 
many  minutes. 

The  extraordinary  part  of  the  proceedings  was  the  circum- 
stance, that  the  bee-hunter  did  not  tell  any  one  whither  he  was 
going,  and  that  Peter  did  not  appear  to  care  about  putting  the 
question  to  him.  Notwithstanding  this  reserve  on  one  side, 
and  seeming  indifference  on  the  other,  when  the  party  reached 
Prairie  Round,  every  one  of  the  chiefs  who  had  been  present 
at  the  council  of  the  previous  night,  was  there  before  it.  The 
Indians  were  straggling  about,  but  remained  sufficiently  near 
the  point  where  the  bee-hunter  and  his  followers  reached  the 
prairie,  to  assemble  around  the  group  in  a  very  few  minutes 
after  it  made  its  appearance.  All  this  struck  le  Bourdon  as 
fearfully  singular,  since  it  proved  how  many  secret  means  of 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  307 

communication  existed  between  these  savages.  That  the  in- 
mates of  the  habitations  were  closely  observed,  and  all  their 
proceedings  noted,  he  could  not  but  suspect,  even  before  receiv- 
ing this  proof  of  Peter's  power ;  but  he  was  not  aware  until 
now,  how  completely  he  and  all  with  him  were  at  the  mercy  of 
these  formidable  foes.  "What  hope  could  there  be  for  escape, 
when  hundreds  of  eyes  were  thus  watching  their  movements, 
and  every  thicket  had  its  vigilant  and  sagacious  sentinel  ?  Yet, 
must  flight  be  attempted,  in  some  way  or  other,  or  Margery  and 
her  sister  would  be  hopelessly  lost — to  say  nothing  of  himself 
and  the  three  other  men. 

But  the  appearance  of  the  remarkable  little  prairie  that  he 
had  just  reached,  and  the  collection  of  chiefs,  now  occupied  all 
the  present  thoughts  of  le  Bourdon.  As  for  the  first,  it  is  held 
in  repute,  even  at  the  present  hour,  as  a  place  that  the  traveller 
should  see,  though  covered  with  farms,  and  the  buildings  that 
belong  to  husbandry.  It  is  still  visited  as  a  picture  of  ancient 
civilization,  placed  in  the  setting  of  a  new  country.  It  is  true 
that  very  little  of  this  part  of  Michigan  wears  much,  if  any,  of 
that  aspect  of  a  rough  beginning,  including  stubs,  stumps,  and 
circled  trees,  that  it  has  so  often  fallen  to  our  share  to  describe. 
There  are  dense  forests,  and  those  of  considerable  extent ;  and 
wherever  the  axe  is  put  into  them,  the  progress  of  improve- 
ment is  marked  by  the  same  steps  as  elsewhere ;  but  the  lovely 
openings  form  so  many  exceptions,  as  almost  to  compose  the 
rule. 

On  Prairie  Eound  there  was  even  a  higher  stamD  of  seeming 

ox  o 

civilization — seeming,  since  it  was  nature,  after  all,  that  had 
mainly  drawn  the  picture.  In  the  first  place,  the  spot  had  been 
burnt  so  recently,  as  to  leave  the  entire  expanse  covered  wTith 
young  grasses  and  flowers,  the  same  as  if  it  were  a  well-kept 
park.  This  feature,  at  that  advanced  period  of  the  summer, 
was  in  some  degree  accidental,  the  burning  of  the  prairies  de- 
pending more  or  less  on  contingencies  of  that  sort.  We  have 
now  less  to  do  with  the  cause,  than  with  its  consequences. 
These  were  most  agreeable  to  the  eye,  as  well  as  comfortable  tc 


308  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

the  foot,  the  grass  nowhere  being  of  a  height  to  impede  move* 
ment,  or,  what  was  of  still  more  importance  to  le  Bourdon's 
present  pursuit,  to  overshadow  the  flowers.  Aware  of  this  fact, 
he  had  led  his  companions  all  that  distance,  to  reach  this  scene 
of  remarkable  rural  beauty,  in  order  that  he  might  make  a  grand 
display  of  his  art,  in  presence  of  the  assembled  chiefs  of  that 
region.  The  bee-hunter  had  pride  in  his  craft,  the  same  as  any 
other  skilful  workman  who  had  gained  a  reputation  by  his  cun- 
ning, and  he  now  trode  the  prairie  with  a  firmer  step,  and  a 
more  kindling  eye,  than  was  his  wont  in  the  commoner  haunts 
of  his  calling.  Men  were  there  whom  it  might  be  an  honor  to 
surprise,  and  pretty  Margery  was  there  also,  she  who  had  so 
long  desired  to  see  this  very  exhibition. 

But  to  revert  once  more  to  the  prairie,  ere  we  commence  the 
narrative  of  wThat  occurred  on  it !  This  well-known  area  is  of 
no  great  extent,  possessing  a  surface  about  equal  to  that  of  one 
of  the  larger  parks  of  Europe.  Its  name  was  derived  from  its 
form,  which,  without  being  absolutely  regular,  had  so  near  an 
approach  to  a  circle  as  to  justify  the  use  of  the  appellation.  The 
face  of  this  charming  field  was  neither  waving,  or  what  is  called 
"  rolling,' '  nor  a  dead  flat,  as  often  occurs  with  river  bottoms. 
It  had  just  enough  of  undulation  to  prevent  too  much  moisture, 
and  to  impart  an  agreeable  variety  to  its  plain.  As  a  whole,  it 
was  clear  of  the  forest ;  quite  as  much  so  as  if  the  axe  had  done 
its  work  there  a  thousand  years  before,  though  wood  wras  not 
wanting.  On  the  contrary,  enough  of  the  last  was  to  be  seen, 
in  addition  to  that  which  formed  the  frame  of  this  charming 
landscape,  to  relieve  the  view  from  all  appearance  of  monotony, 
and  to  break  it  up  into  copses,  thickets,  trees  in  small  clusters, 
and  in  most  of  the  varieties  that  embellish  native  scenery.  One 
who  had  been  unexpectedly  transferred  to  the  spot,  might  well 
have  imagined  that  he  was  looking  on  the  site  of  some  old  and 
long-established  settlement,  from  which  every  appliance  of 
human  industry  had  been  suddenly  and  simultaneously  abstract- 
ed. Of  houses,  out-buildings,  fences,  stacks,  and  husbandly, 
there  were  no  signs ;  unless  the  even  and  verdant  sward,  that 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  309 

was  spread  like  a  vast  carpet,  sprinkled  with,  flowers,  could  have 
been  deemed  a  sign  of  the  last.  There  were  the  glades,  vistas, 
irregular  lawns,  and  woods,  shaped  with  the  pleasing  outlines 
of  the  free  hand  of  nature,  as  if  consummate  art  had  been  en- 
deavoring to  imitate  our  great  mistress  in  one  of  her  most  grace- 
ful moods. 

The  Indians  present  served  largely  to  embellish  this  scene. 
Of  late  years,  horses  have  become  so  common  among  the  west- 
ern tribes,  the  vast  natural  meadows  of  those  regions  furnishing 
the  means  necessary  to  keep  them,  that  one  can  now  hardly 
form  a  picture  of  those  savages,  without  representing  them 
mounted,  and  wielding  the  spear ;  but  such  was  not  the  fact 
with  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing,  nor  was  it  ever  the 
general  practice  to  go  mounted,  among  the  Indians  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  great  lakes.  Not  a  hoof  of  any  sort 
was  now  visible,  with  the  exception  of  those  which  belonged  to 
a  herd  of  deer,  that  were  grazing  on  a  favorite  spot,  less  than  a 
league  distant  from  the  place  where  le  Bourdon  and  his  com- 
panions reached  the  prairie.  All  the  chiefs  were  on  foot,  and 
very  few  were  equipped  with  more  than  the  knife  and  toma- 
hawk, the  side-arms  of  a  chief ;  the  rifles  having  been  secreted, 
as  it  might  be,  in  deference  to  the  festivities  and  peaceful 
character  of  the  occasion.  As  le  Bourdon's  party  was  duly 
provided  with  rifles,  the  missionary  and  Margery  excepted,  this 
was  a  sign  that  no  violence  was  contemplated  on  that  occasion 
at  least.  "  Contemplated, ' '  however,  is  a  word  very  expres- 
sive, when  used  in  connection  with  the  outbreakings  of  human 
passions,  as  they  are  wont  to  exhibit  themselves  among  the 
ignorant  and  excited.  It  matters  not  whether  the  scene  be  the 
capital  of  some  ancient  European  monarchy,  or  the  wilds  of 
America,  the  workings  of  such  impulses  are  much  the  same. 
Now,  a  throne  is  overturned,  perhaps,  before  they  who  do  it 
are  yet  fully  aware  of  what  they  ought  to  set  up  in  its  place ; 
and  now  the  deadly  rifle,  or  the  murderous  tomahawk  is  used, 
more  in  obedience  to  the  incentives  of  demons,  than  in  further- 
ance of  justly  recognized  rules  of  conduct.     Le  Bourdon  was 


310  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

aware  of  all  this,  and  did  not  so  far  confide  in  appearances,  as 
to  overlook  the  watchfulness  that  he  deemed  indispensable. 

The  bee-hunter  was  not  long  in  selecting  a  place  to  set  up 
his  apparatus.  In  this  particular,  he  was  mainly  governed  by  a 
lovely  expanse  of  sweet-scented  flowers,  among  which  bees  in 
thousands  were  humming,  sipping  of  their  precious  gifts  at 
will;  Le  Bourdon  had  a  care,  also,  not  to  go  far  from  the 
forests  which  encircled  the  prairies,  for  among  its  trees  he 
knew  he  had  to  seek  the  habitations  of  the  insects.  Instead 
of  a  stump,  or  a  fallen  tree,  he  had  prepared  a  light  frame-work 
of  lath,  which  the  corporal  bore  to  the  field  for  him,  and  on 
which  he  placed  his  different  implements,  as  soon  as  he  had 
selected  the  scene  of  operations. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  for  us  to  repeat  the  process,  which 
has  already  been  described  in  our  opening  chapters ;  but  wre 
shall  only  touch  such  parts  of  it  as  have  a  direct  connection 
with  the  events  of  the  legend.  As  le  Bourdon  commenced  his 
preparations,  however,  the  circle  of  chiefs  closed  around  him, 
in  mute  but  close  attention  to  every  thing  that  passed.  Al- 
though every  one  of  them  had  heard  of  the  bee-hunters  of  the 
pale-faces,  and  most  of  them  had  heard  of  this  particular 
individual  of  their  number,  not  an  Indian  present  had  ever  seen 
one  of  these  men  practise  his  craft.  This  may  seem  strange,  as 
respects  those  who  so  much  roamed  the  woods ;  but  we  have 
already  remarked  that  it  exceeded  the  knowledge  of  the  red 
man  to  make  the  calculations  that  are  necessary  to  take  the  bee 
by  the  process  described.  Usually,  when  he  obtains  honey,  it 
is  the  result  of  some  chance  meeting  in  the  forest,  and  not  the 
fruits  of  that  far-sighted  and  persevering  industry,  which  enables 
the  white  man  to  lay  in  a  store  large  enough  to  supply  a  neigh- 
borhood, in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks'  hunting. 

Never  wras  a  juggler  watched  with  closer  attention,  than  was 
le  Bourdon,  while  setting  up  his  stand,  and  spieading  his 
implements.  Every  grave,  dark  countenance  was  turned  to- 
ward him,  and  each  keen,  glistening  eye  was  riveted  on  his 
movements.     As  the  vessel  with  the  comb  was  set  down,  the 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  311 

chiefs  nearest  recognizing  the  substance,  murmured  their  ad  mi* 
ration  ;  for  to  them  it  seemed  as  if  the  operator  were  about  to 
make  honey  with  honey.  Then  the  glass  was  a  subject  of 
surprise ;  for  half  of  those  present  had  never  seen  such  an 
utensil  before.  Though  many  of  the  chiefs  present  had  visited 
the  "garrisons"  of  the  north-west,  both  American  and  English, 
many  had  not ;  and,  of  those  who  had,  not  one  in  ten  got  any 
clear  idea  of  the  commonest  appliances  of  civilized  life.  Thus 
it  was,  then,  that  almost  every  article  used  by  the  bee-hunter, 
though  so  simple  and  homely,  was  the  subject  of  a  secret,  but 
well-suppressed  admiration. 

It  was  not  long  ere  le  Bourdon  was  ready  to  look  for  his 
bee.  The  insects  were  numerous  on  the  flowers,  particularly 
on  the  white  clover,  which  is  indigenous  in  America,  springing 
up  spontaneously  wherever  grasses  are  permitted  to  grow.  The 
great  abundance  of  the  bees,  however,  had  its  usual  effect,  and 
our  hero  was  a  little  difficult  to  please.  At  length,  a  fine,  and 
already  half-loaded  little  animal  was  covered  by  the  glass,  and 
captured.  This  was  done  so  near  the  group  of  Indians,  that 
each  and  all  noted  the  process.  It  was  curious,  and  it  was 
inexplicable  !  Could  the  pale-faces  compel  bees  to  reveal  the 
secret  of  their  hives,  and  was  that  encroaching  race  about  to 
drive  all  the  insects  from  the  woods  and  seize  their  honey,  as 
they  drove  the  Indians  before  them  and  seized  their  lands  ? 
Such  was  the  character  of  the  thoughts  that  passed  through  the 
minds  of  more  than  one  chief,  that  morning,  though  all  looked 
on  in  profound  stillness. 

When  the  imprisoned  bee  was  put  over  the  comb,  and  le 
Bourdon's  cap  was  placed  above  all,  these  simple-minded  chil- 
dren of  the  woods  and  the  prairies  gazed,  as  if  expecting  a  hive 
to  appear  beneath  the  covering,  whenever  the  latter  should  be 
removed.  It  was  not  long  before  the  bee  "  settled,"  and  not 
only  the  cap,  but  the  tumbler  was  taken  away.  For  the  first 
time  since  the  exhibition  commenced,  le  Bourdon  spoke,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  Peter : 

"  If  the  tribeless  chief  will  look  sharply,"  he  said,  "  he  will 


312  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

soon  see  the  bee  take  flight.  It  is  filling  itself  with  honey,  and 
the  moment  it  is  loaded — look — look — it  is  about  to  rise — 
there,  it  is  up — see  it  circling  around  the  stand,  as  if  to  take  a 
look  that  it  may  know  it  again — there  it  goes  !" 

There  it  did  go,  of  a  truth,  and  in  a  regular  bee-line,  or  as 
straight  as  an  arrow.  Of  all  that  crowd,  the  bee-hunter  and 
Margery  alone  saw  the  insect  in  its  flight.  Most  of  those 
present  lost  sight  of  it,  while  circling  around  the  stand;  but 
the  instant  it  darted  away,  to  the  remainder  it  seemed  to  vanish 
into  air.  Not  so  with  le  Bourdon  and  Margery,  however.  The 
former  saw  it  from  habit ;  the  latter  from  a  quick  eye,  intense 
attention,  and  the  wish  not  to  miss  any  thing  that  le  Bourdon 
saw  fit  to  do,  for  her  information  or  amusement.  The  animal 
flew  in  an  air-line  toward  a  point  of  wood  distant  fully  haif-a- 
mile,  and  on  the  margin  of  the  prairie. 

Many  low  exclamations  arose  among  the  savages.  The  bee 
was  gone,  but  whither  they  knew  not,  or  on  what  errand. 
Could  it  have  been  sent  on  a  message  by  the  pale-face,  or  had 
it  flown  off  to  give  the  alarm  to  its  companions,  in  order  to 
adopt  the  means  of  disappointing  the  bee-hunter  ?  As  for  the 
last,  he  went  coolly  to  work  to  choose  another  insect ;  and  he 
soon  had  three  at  work  on  the  comb — all  in  company,  and  all 
uncovered.  Had  the  number  anything  to  do  with  the  charm, 
or  were  these  three  to  be  sent  to  bring  back  the  one  that  had 
already  gone  away  ?  Such  was  the  sort  of  reasoning,  and  such 
the  queries  put  to  themselves,  by  several  of  the  stern  children 
of  nature  who  were  drawn  up  around  the  stand. 

In  the  meantime  le  Bourdon  proceeded  with  his  operations 
in  the  utmost  simplicity.  He  now  called  Peter  and  Bear's 
Meat  and  Crowsfeather  nearer  to  his  person,  where  they  might 
share  with  Margery  the  advantage  of  more  closely  seeing  all  that 
passed.  As  soon  as  these  three  chiefs  were  near  enough,  Ben 
pointed  to  one  bee  in  particular,  saying  in  the  Indian  dialect : 

"My  brothers  see  that  bee  in  the  centre — he  is  about  to 
go  away.  If  he  go  after  the  one  that  went  before  him,  I  shall 
soon  know  where  to  look  for  honey." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  313 

"How  can  my  brother  tell  which  bee  will  first  fly  away?" 
demanded  Bear's  Meat. 

The  bee-hunter  was  able  to  foresee  this,  by  knowing  which 
insect  had  been  longest  on  the  comb  ;  but  so  practised  had  his 
eye  become,  that  he  knew  with  tolerable  accuracy,  by  the 
movements  of  the  creatures,  those  that  had  filled  themselves 
with  honey  from  those  that  had  not.  As  it  did  not  suit  his 
purpose,  however,  to  let  all  the  minutiae  of  his  craft  be  known, 
his  answer  was  evasive.  Just  at  that  moment  a  thought 
occurred  to  him,  which  it  might  be  well  to  carry  out  in  full. 
He  had  once  saved  his  life  by  necromancy,  or  what  seemed  to 
the  simple  children  of  the  woods  to  be  necromancy,  and  why 
might  he  not  turn  the  cunning  of  his  regular  art  to  account, 
and  render  'it  the  means  of  rescuing  the  females,  as  well  as  him- 
self, from  the  hands  of  their  captors?  This  sudden  impulse 
from  that  moment  controlled  his  conduct ;  and  his  mind  was 
constantly  casting  about  for  the  means  of  effecting  what  was 
now  his  one  great  purpose — escape.  Instead  of  uttering  in 
reply  to  Bear's  Meat's  question  the  simple  truth,  therefore, 
he  rather  sought  for  such  an  answer  as  might  make  the  process 
in  which  he  was  engaged  appear  imposing  and  mystical. 

" How  do  the  Injins  know  the  path  of  the  deer?"  he  asked, 
by  way  of  reply.  "  They  look  at  the  deer,  get  to  know  him, 
and  understand  his  ways.     This  middle  bee  will  soon  fly." 

"  Which  way  will  he  go  ?"  asked  Peter.  "  Can  my  brother 
tell  us  that  r 

"  To  his  hive,"  returned  le  Bourdon,  carelessly,  as  if  he  did 
not  fully  understand  the  question.  "  All  of  them  go  to  their 
hives,  unless  I  tell  them  to  go  in  another  direction.  See,  the 
bee  is  up  !" 

The  chiefs  now  looked  with  all  their  eyes.  They  saw,  in- 
deed, that  the  bee  was  making  its  circles  above  the  stand. 
Presently  they  lost  sight  of  the  insect,  which  to  them  seemed 
to  vanish ;  though  le  Bourdon  distinctly  traced  its  flight  for  a 
hundred  yards.  It  took  a  direction  at  right  angles  to  that  of 
the  first  bee,  flying  off  into  the  prairie,  and  shaping  its  course 
14 


314  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

toward  an  island  of  wood,  which  might  have  been  of  three  or 
four  acres  in  extent,  and  distant  rather  less  than  a  mile. 

While  le  Bourdon  was  noting  this  flight,  another  bee  arose. 
This  creature  flew  toward  the  point  of  forest,  already  men- 
tioned as  the  destination  of  the  insect  that  had  first  risen.  No 
sooner  was  this  third  little  animal  out  of  sight,  than  the  fourth 
was  up,  humming  around  the  stand.  Ben  pointed  it  out  to  the 
chiefs ;  and  this  time  they  succeeded  in  tracing  the  flight  for, 
perhaps,  a  hundred  feet  from  the  spot  where  they  stood.  In- 
stead of  following  either  of  its  companions,  this  fourth  bee  took 
a  course  which  led  it  off  the  prairie  altogether,  and  toward  the 
habitations. 

The  suddenly-conceived  purpose  of  le  Bourdon,  to  attempt 
to  mystify  the  savages,  and  thus  get  a  hold  upon  their  minds 
which  he  might  turn  to  advantage,  was  much  aided  by  the  dif- 
ferent directions  taken  by  these  several  bees.  Had  they  all 
gone  the  same  way,  the  conclusion  that  all  went  home  would  be 
so  very  natural  and  obvious,  as  to  deprive  the  discovery  of  a 
hive  of  any  supernatural  merit,  at  least ;  and  to  establish  this 
was  just  now  the  great  object  the  bee-hunter  had  in  view.  As 
it  was,  the  Indians  were  no  wiser,  now  all  the  bees  were  gone, 
than  they  had  been  before  one  of  them  had  flown.  On  the 
contrary,  they  could  not  understand  how  the  flights  of  so  many 
insects,  in  so  many  different  directions,  should  tell  the  bee-hunt- 
.  er  where  honey  was  to  be  found.  Le  Bourdon  saw  that  the 
prairie  was  covered  with  bees,  and  well  knew  that,  such  being 
the  fact,  the  inmates  of  perhaps  a  hundred  different  hives  must 
be  present.  All  this,  however,  was  too  novel  and  too  compli- 
cated for  the  calculations  of  savages ;  and  not  one  of  those  who 
crowded  near,  as  observers,  could  account  for  so  many  of  the 
bees  going  different  ways. 

Le  Bourdon  now  intimated  a  wish  to  change  his  ground. 
He  had  noted  two  of  the  bees,  and  the  only  question  that  re- 
mained to  be  decided,  as  it  respected  them,  was  whether  they 
belonged  to  the  precise  points  toward  which  they  had  flown, 
or  to  points  beyond  them.     The  reader  will  easily  understand 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  315 

that  this  is  the  nature  of  the  fact  determined  by  taking  an  angle, 
the  point  of  intersection  between  any  two  of  the  lines  of  flight, 
being  necessarily  the  spot  where  the  hive  is  to  be  found.  So 
far  from  explaining  this  to  those  around  him,  however,  Boden 
kept  it  a  secret  in  his  own  breast.  Margery  knew  the  whole 
process,  for  to  her  he  had  often  gone  over  it  in  description, 
finding  a  pleasure  in  instructing  one  so  apt,  and  whose  tender, 
liquid  blue  eyes  seemed  to  reflect  every  movement  of  his  own 
soul  and  feelings.  Margery  he  could  have  taught  forever,  or 
fancied  for  the  moment  he  could ;  which  is  as  near  the  truth  a? 
men  under  the  influence  of  love  often  get.  But,  as  for  the  In- 
dians, so  far  from  letting  them  into  any  of  his  secrets,  his  strong 
desire  was  now  to  throw  dust  into  their  eyes,  in  all  possible 
ways,  and  to  make  their  well-established  character  for  supersti- 
tion subservient  to  his  own  projects. 

Boden  was  far  from  being  a  scholar,  even  for  one  in  his  class 
in  life.  Down  to  this  hour,  the  neglect  of  the  means  of  public 
instruction  is  somewhat  of  a  just  ground  of  reproach  against 
the  venerable  and  respectable  commonwealth  of  which  he  was 
properly  a  member,  though  her  people  have  escaped  a  knowl- 
edge of  a  great  deal  of  small  philosophy  and  low  intriguing- 
which  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  evil  spirits  thrust  in  among  the 
leaves  of  a  more  legitimate  information,  when  the  book  of 
knowledge  is  opened  for  the  instruction  of  those  who,  by  cir- 
cumstances, are  prevented  from  doing  more  than  bestowing  a 
few  hurried  glances  at  its  contents.  Still,  Ben  had  read  every- 
thing about  bees  on  which  he  could  lay  his  hands.  He  had 
studied  their  habits  personally,  and  he  had  pondered  over  the 
various  accounts  of  their  communities — a  sort  of  limited  mon- 
archy in  which  the  prince  is  deposed  occasionally,  or  when 
matters  go  very  wrong — some  written  by  really  very  observant 
and  intelligent  persons,  and  others  again  not  a  little  fanciful 
Among  other  books  that  had  thus  fallen  in  le  Bourdon's  way, 
was  one  which  somewhat  minutely  described  the  uses  that  were 
made  of  bees  by  the  ancient  soothsayers  in  their  divinations 
Our  hero  had  no  notion  of  reviving  those  rites,  or  of  attempt- 


316  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

ing  to  imitate  the  particular  practices  of  which  lie  had  read  and 
heard ;  but  the  recollection  of  them  occurred  most  opportunely 
to  strengthen  and  encourage  the  design,  so  suddenly  entertained, 
of  making  his  present  operations  aid  in  opening  the  way  to 
the  one  great  thing  of  the  hour — an  escape  into  Lake  Michigan. 

"  A  bee  knows  a  great  deal,"  said  le  Bourdon  to  his  nearest 
companions,  while  the  whole  party  was  moving  some  distance 
to  take  up  new  ground.     ' '  A  bee  often  knows  more  than  a  man. " 

"More  than  pale-face ?"  demanded  Bear's  Meat,  a  chief  who 
had  attained  his  authority  more  by  means  of  physical  than  of 
intellectual  qualities. 

"  Sometimes.  Pale-faces  have  gone  to  bees  to  ask  what  will 
happen.  Let  me  ask  our  medicine-man  this  question.  Parson 
Amen,  have  you  any  knowledge  of  the  soothsayers  of  old  using 
bees  when  they  wished  to  know  what  was  about  to  happen  V9 

Now,  the  missionary  was  not  a  learned  man,  any  more  than 
the  bee-hunter ;  but  many  an  unlearned  man  has  heard  of  this, 
and  he  happened  to  be  one  of  the  number.  Of  Virgil,  for 
instance,  Parson  Amen  knew  but  little ;  though  in  the  progress 
of  a  very  loose,  but  industrious  course  of  reading,  he  had  learned 
that  the  soothsayers  put  great  faith  in  bees.  His  answer  was 
given  in  conformity  with  this  fact,  and  in  the  most  perfect  good 
faith,  for  he  had  not  the  smallest  suspicion  of  what  Boden 
wished  to  establish. 

"  Certainly — most  certainly,"  answered  the  well-meaning 
missionary — "the  fortune-tellers  of  old  times  often  went  to 
their  bees  when  they  wished  to  look  into  the  future.  It  has 
been  a  subject  much  talked  of  among  Christians,  to  account  for 
the  soothsaying,  and  witchcraft,  and  other  supernatural  dealings 
of  those  who  lived  in  the  times  of  the  prophets ;  and  most  of 
them  have  held  the  opinion  that  evil  spirits  have  been — nay, 
still  are  permitted  to  work  their  will  on  certain  men  in  the  flesh. 
But  bees  were  in  much  favor  with  the  soothsayers  of  old." 

This  answer  was  given  in  English,  and  little  of  it  was  com- 
prehended by  Peter,  and  the  others  who  had  more  or  less 
knowledge  of  that  language,  beyond  the  part  which  asserted 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  317 

the  agency  of  bees  in  witchcraft.  Luckily,  this  was  all  le  Bour- 
don desired,  and  he  was  well  satisfied  at  seeing  that  the  idea 
passed  from  one  chief  to  another ;  those  who  did  not  know  the 
English  at  all,  being  told  by  those  who  had  some  knowledge  of 
the  tongue,  that  "bees  were  thought  to  be  '  medicine'  among 
the  pale-faces.'' 

Le  Bourdon  gained  a  great  deal  of  ground  by  this  fortunate 
corroboration  of  his  own  still  more  fortunate  thought.  Matters 
were  pretty  nearly  desperate  with  him,  and  with  all  his  friends, 
should  Peter  really  meditate  evil;  and  as  desperate  diseases 
notoriously  require  remedies  of  the  same  character,  he  was  ready 
to  attempt  any  thing  that  promised  even  the  smallest  chance  of 
success. 

"Yes,  yes — "  the  bee-hunter  pursued  the  discourse  by  say- 
ing— "  bees  know  a  great  deal.  I  have  sometimes  thought 
that  bees  know  more  than  bears,  and  my  brother  must  be  able 
to  tell  something  of  them?" 

"  Yes  ;  my  name  is  Bear's  Meat,"  answered  that  chief,  com- 
placently. "  Injin  always  give  name  that  mean  somet'ing.  Kill 
so  many  bear  one  winter,  got  dat  name." 

"  A  good  name  it  is !  To  kill  a  bear  is  the  most  honorable 
thing  a  hunter  can-do,  as  we  all  know.  If  my  brother  wishes 
to  hear  it,  I  will  ask  my  bees  when  he  is  to  kill  another." 

The  savage  to  whom  this  was  addressed  fairly  started  with 
delight.  He  was  eagerly  signifying  his  cheerful  assent  to  the 
proposal,  when  Peter  quietly  interposed,  and  changed  the  dis- 
course to  himself,  in  a  way  that  he  had,  and  which  would  not 
easily  admit  of  denial. .  It  was  apparent  to  le  Bourdon  that  this 
mysterious  Indian  was  not  content  that  one  so  direct  and 
impetuous  in  his  feelings  as  Bear's  Meat,  and  who  was  at  the 
same  time  so  little  qualified  to  manage  his  portion  of  an  intel 
lectual  conversation,  should  be  foremost  any  longer.  For  that 
reason  he  brought  himself  more  into  the  foreground,  leaving 
to  his  friend  the  capacity  of  listener  and  observer,  rather  than 
that  of  a  speaker  and  actor.  What  took  place  under  this  new 
arrangement,  will  appear  as  the  narrative  proceeds. 


318  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

" Therefore,  go  with  me  ; 

I'll  give  the  fairies  to  attend  on  thee ; 

And  they  shall  fetch  thee  jewels  from  the  deep, 

— Peas-blossom  I  cobweb!  moth!  and  mustard-seed 

Midsummer-Night's  Due  am. 

As  le  Bourdon  kept  moving  across  the  prairie,  while  the  re- 
marks were  made  that  have  been  recorded  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  he  soon  reached  the  new  position  where  he  intended 
to  again  set  up  his  stand.  Here  he  renewed  his  operations  ; 
Peter  keeping  nearest  his  person,  in  jealous  watchfulness  of  the 
least  movement  he  made.  Bees  were  caught,  and  scarce  a 
minute  elapsed  ere  the  bee-hunter  had  two  of  them  on  the  piece 
of  comb,  uncovered  and  at  liberty.  The  circumstance  that  the 
cap  was  momentarily  placed  over  the  insects,  struck  the  savages 
as  a  piece  of  necromancy,  in  particular.  The  reader  will  under- 
stand that  this  is  done  in  order  to  darken  the  tumbler,  and  in- 
duce the  bee  to  settle  down  on  the  honey  so  much  the  sooner. 
To  one  who  understood  the  operation  and  its  reason,  the  whole 
was  simple  enough;  but  it  was  a  very  different  matter  with 
men  as  little  accustomed  to  prying  into  the  habits  of  creatures 
as  insignificant  as  bees.  Had  deer,  or  bisons,  or  bears,  or  any 
of  the  quadrupeds  of  those  regions,  been  the  subject  of  the 
experiment,  it  is  highly  probable  that  individuals  could  have 
been  found  in  that  attentive  and  wondering  crowd,  who  could 
have  enlightened  the  ablest  naturalists  on  the  subject  of  the 
animals  under  examination;  but  when  the  inquiry  descended 
to  the  bee,  it  went  below  the  wants  and  usages  of  savage  life. 

"  Where  you  t'ink  dis  bee  go  f"  demanded  Peter,  in  English, 
as  soon  as  le  Bourdon  raised  the  tumbler. 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  319 

"  One  will  go  in  this  direction,  the  other  in  that,"  answered 
the  bee-hunter,  pointing  first  toward  the  corner  of  the  woods, 
then  toward  the  island  in  the  prairie — the  two  points  toward 
which  two  of  the  other  bees  had  flown. 

The  predictions  might  or  might  not  prove  true.  If  they  did, 
the  effect  must  be  great ;  if  they  did  not,  the  failure  would  soon 
be  forgotten  in  matters  of  more  interest.  Our  hero,  therefore, 
risked  but  little,  while  he  had  the  chance  of  gaining  a  very  great 
advantage.  By  a  fortunate  coincidence,  the  result  completely 
justified  the  prediction.  A  bee  rose,  made  its  circles  around 
the  stand,  and  away  it  went  toward  the  island-like  copse  in  the 
prairie ;  while  its  companion  soon  imitated  its  example,  but 
taking  the  other  prescribed  direction.  This  time  Peter  watched 
the  insects  so  closely  that  he  was  a  witness  of  their  movements, 
and  with  his  own  eyes  he  beheld  the  flight,  as  well  as  the  direc- 
tion taken  by  each. 

"  You  tell  bee  do  dis  ?"  demanded  Peter,  with  a  surprise 
that  was  so  sudden,  as  well  as  so  great,  that  it  overcame  in 
some  slight  degree  his  habitual  self-command. 

"To  be  sure  I  did,"  replied  le  Bourdon,  carelessly.  "If 
you  wish  to  see  another,  you  may." 

Here  the  young  man  coolly  took  another  bee,  and  put  it  on 
the  comb.  Indifferent  as  he  appeared,  however,  he  used  what 
was  perhaps  the  highest  degree  of  his  art  in  selecting  this  insect. 
It  was  taken  from  the  bunch  of  flowers  whence  one  of  his  for- 
mer captives  had  been  taken,  and  there  was  every  chance  of  its 
belonging  to  the  same  hive  as  its  companion.  Which  direction 
it  might  take,  should  it  prove  to  be  a  bee  from  either  of  the 
two  hives  of  which  the  positions  were  now  known,  it  altogether 
exceeded  Boden's  art  to  tell,  so  he  dexterously  avoided  com- 
mitting himself.  It  was  enough  that  Peter  gazed  attentively, 
and  that  he  saw  the  insect  dart  away,  disappearing  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  island.  By  this  time  more  of  the  savages  were  on 
the  alert,  and  now  knowing  how  and  where  to  look  for  the  bee, 
they  also  saw  its  course. 

"You  tell  him  ag'in  go  dere !"  asked  Peter,  whose  interest 


320  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

t»y  this  time  was  so  manifest,  as  to  defy  all  attempts  at  conceal- 
ment. 

"  To  be  snre  I  did.  The  bees  obey  me,  as  your  young  men 
obey  you.  I  am  their  chief,  and  they  know  me.  I  will  give 
you  further  proof  of  this.  We  will  now  go  to  that  little  bit  of 
wood,  when  you  shall  all  see  what  it  contains.  I  have  sent 
three  of  my  bees  there ;  and  here,  one  of  them  is  already  back, 
to  let  me  know  what  he  has  seen." 

Sure  enough,  a  bee  was  buzzing  around  the  head  of  le  Bour- 
don, probably  attracted  by  some  fragment  of  comb,  and  he 
cunningly  converted  it  into  a  messenger  from  the  copse  !  All 
this  was  wonderful  to  the  crowd,  and  it  even  greatly  troubled 
Peter.  This  man  was  much  less  liable  to  the  influence  of 
superstition  than  most  of  his  people  ;  but  he  was  very  far  from 
being  altogether  above  it.  This  is  the  fact  with  very  few  civil- 
ized men ;  perhaps  with  no  man  whatever,  let  his  philosophy 
and  knowledge  be  what  they  may  ;  and  least  of  all,  is  it  true 
with  the  ignorant.  There  is  too  much  of  the  uncertain,  of  the 
conjectural  in  our  condition  as  human  beings,  to  raise  us  alto- 
gether above  the  distrusts,  doubts,  wonder,  and  other  weak- 
nesses of  our  present  condition.  To  these  simple  savages,  the 
manner  in  which  the  bees  flew,  seemingly  at  le  Bourdon's  bid- 
ding, to  this  or  that  thicket,  was  quite  as  much  a  matter  of 
astonishment,  as*any  of  our  most  elaborate  deceptions  are  won- 
ders to  our  own  ignorant  and  vulgar.  Ignorant !  And  where 
is  the  line  to  be  drawn  that  is  to  place  men  beyond  the  pale  of 
ignorance  ?  Each  of  us  fails  in  some  one,  if  not  in  very  many 
of  the  important  branches  of  the  knowledge  that  is  even  re- 
duced to  rules  among  us.  Here  is  seen  the  man  of  books,  so 
ignorant  of  the  application  of  his  own  beloved  theories,  as  to  be 
a  mere  child  in  practice  ;  and,  there  again,  can  be  seen  the  ex- 
pert in  practice,  who  is  totally  unacquainted  with  a  single  prin- 
ciple, of  the  many,  that  lie  at  the  root  of  his  very  handy-craft. 
Let  us  not,  then,  deride  these  poor  children  of  the  forest,  be- 
cause that  which  was  so  entirely  new  to  them,  should  also  appear 
inexplicable  and  supernatural. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  321 

As  for  Peter,  he  was  more  confounded  than  convinced.  His 
mind  was  so  much  superior  to  those  of  the  other  chiefs,  as  to 
render  him  far  more  difficult  to  mislead ;  though  even  he  was 
not  exempt  from  the  great  weaknesses  of  ignorance,  supersti- 
tion, and  its  concomitants — credulity,  and  a  love  of  the  marvel- 
lous. His  mind  was  troubled,  as  was  quite  apparent  to  Ben, 
who  watched  him  quite  as  narrowly  as  he  was  observed  himself, 
in  all  he  did.  Willing  to  deepen  the  impression,  our  artist  now 
determined  to  exhibit  some  of  the  higher  fruits  of  his  skill.  The 
production  of  a  considerable  quantity  of  honey  would  of  itself 
be  a  sort  of  peace-offering,  and  he  now  prepared  to  turn  the 
certainty  of  there  being  a  hive  in  the  little  wood  to  account — 
certainty,  because  three  bees  had  taken  wing  for  it,  and  a  very 
distinct  angle  had  been  made  with  two  of  them. 

"  Does  my  brother  wish  any  honey?"  asked  ie  Bourdon, 
carelessly ;  "or  shall  I  send  a  bee  across  Lake  Michigan,  to  tell 
the  Injins  further  west  that  Detroit  is  taken  V1 

"  Can  Bourdon  find  honey,  now  ?"  demanded  Peter. 

"Easily.  Several  hives  are  within  a  mile  of  us.  The  bees 
like  this  prairie,  which  is  so  well  garnished  with  flowers,  and  I 
am  never  at  a  loss  for  work,  in  this  neighborhood.  This  is  my 
favorite  bee-ground ;  and  I  have  got  all  the  little  creatures  so 
that  they  know  me,  and  are  ready  to'  do  every  thing  that  I  tell 
them.  As  I  see  that  the  chiefs  love  honey,  and  wish  to  eat 
some,  we  will  now  go  to  one  of  my  hives." 

Thus  saying,  le  Bourdon  prepared  for  another  march.  He 
moved  with  all  his  appliances,  Margery  keeping  close  at  his 
side,  carrying  the  honey-comb  and  honey.  As  the  girl  walked 
lightly,  in  advance  of'  the  Indians,  some  fifteen  or  twenty  bees, 
attracted  by  the  flavor  of  what  she  carried,  kept  circling  around 
her  head,  and  consequently  around  that  of  Boden  ;  and  Peter 
did  not  fail  to  observe  the  circumstance.  To  him  it  appeared 
as  if  these  bees  were  so  many  accompanying  agents,  who  at- 
tended their  master  in  order  to  do  his  bidding.  In  a  word, 
Peter  was  fast  getting  into  that  frame  of  mind,  when  all  that  is 
Been  is  pressed  into  the  support  of  the  theory  we  have  adopted. 


322  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

The  bee-liunter  had  some  mysterious  connection  with,  and  con- 
trol over  the  bees,  and  this  was  one  among  the  many  other 
signs  of  the  existence  of  his  power.  All  this,  however,  Boden 
himself  disregarded.  His  mind  was  bent  on  throwing  dust  into 
the  eyes  of  the  Indians  ;  and  he  was  cogitating  the  means  of  so 
doing,  on  a  much  larger  scale  than  any  yet  attempted. 

"  Why  dem  bee  fly  'round  young  squaw  ?"  demanded  Peter 
■ — "  and  fly  round  you,  too  ?" 

"They  know  us,  and  go  with  us  to  their  hive;  just  as 
IiTJins  would  come  out  of  their  villages  to  meet  and  honor 
visitors." 

This  was  a  ready  reply,  but  it  scarcely  satisfied  the  wily 
savage  to  whom  it  was  given.  Jusfc  then  Crowsfeather  led 
Peter  a  little  aside,  and  began  talking  earnestly  to  that  chief, 
both  continuing  on  with  the  crowd.  Le  Bourdon  felt  persuaded 
that  the  subject  of  this  private  conference  was  some  of  bis  own 
former  backslidings  in  the  character  of  conjuror,  and  that  the 
Pottawattamie  would  not  deal  very  tenderly  with  his  character. 
Nevertheless,  it  was  too  late  to  retrace  his  steps,  and  he  saw 
the  necessity  of  going  on. 

"I  wish  you  had  not  come  out  with  us,"  the  bee-hunter 
found  an  occasion  to  say  to  Margery.  "  I  do  not  half  like  the 
state  of  things,  and  this  conjuration  about  the  bees  may  all  fall 
through." 

"  It  is  better  that  I  should  be  here,  Bourdon,"  returned  the 
spirited  girl.  "  My  being  here  may  make  them  less  unfriendly 
to  you.  When  I  am  by,  Peter  always  seems  more  human,  and 
less  of  a  savage,  they  all  tell  me,  than  when  I  am  not  by." 

"  No  one  can  be  more  willing  to  own  your  power,  Margery, 
than  I ;  but  Injins  hold  the  squaws  too  cheap,  to  give  you 
much  influence  over  this  old  fellow." 

"  You  do  not  know — he  may  have  had  a  daughter  of  about 
my  age,  or  size,  or  appearance ;  or  with  my  laugh,  or  voice,  or 
something  else  that  reminds  him  of  her,  when  he  sees  me.  One- 
thing  I  am  sure  of — Peter  is  no  enemy  of  mine." 

"  I  hope  this  may  prove  to  be  true  !    I  do  not  sec,  after  all, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  323 

why  an  Injin  should  not  have  the  feelin's  you  name.  He  is 
a  man,  and  must  feel  for  his  wife  and  children,  the  same  as 
other—" 

"Bourdon,  what  ails  the  dog?  Look  at  the  manner  in 
which  Hive  is  behaving  !" 

Sure  enough,  the  appearance  of  Hive  was  sufficiently  obvious 
to  attract  his  master's  attention.  By  this  time  the  crowd  had 
got  within  twenty  rods  of  the  little  island-like  copse  of  wood, 
the  mastiff  being  nearly  half  that  distance  in  advance.  Instead 
of  preceding  the  party,  however,  Hive  had  raised  his  form  in  a 
menacing  manner,  and  moved  cautiously  from  side  to  side,  like 
one  of  his  kind  that  scents  a  foe.  There  was  no  mistaking 
these  movements  ;  and  all  the  principal  chiefs  soon  had  their 
attention  also  drawn  to  the  behavior  of  the  dog. 

"  Why  he  do  so  ?"  asked  Peter.     "He  'fraid  of  bee,  eh  ?" 

"He  waits  for  me  to  come  up,"  answered  le  Bourdon. 
"Let  my  brother  and  two  other  chiefs  come  with  me,  and 
let  the  rest  stay  here.  Bees  do  not  like  crowds.  Corporal, 
I  put  Margery  in  your  keeping,  and  Parson  Amen  will  be 
near  you.  I  now  go  to  show  these  chiefs  what  a  bee  can 
tell  a  man." 

Thus  saying,  le  Bourdon  advanced,  followed  by  Peter,  Bear's 
Meat,  and  Crowsfeather.  Our  hero  had  made  up  his  mind 
that  something  more  than  bees  were  to  be  found  in  the  thicket ; 
for,  the  place  being  a  little  marshy,  bushes  as  well  as  trees  were 
growing  on  it,  and  he  fully  expected  a  rencontre  with  bears, 
the  creatures  most  disposed  to  prey  on  the  labors  of  the  bee- 
man  excepted.  Being  well  armed,  and  accompanied  by  men 
accustomed  to  such  struggles,  he  had  no  apprehensions,  and  led 
the  way  boldly,  feeling  the  necessity  of  manifesting  perfect 
confidence  in  all  his  own  acts,  in  order  to  command  the  respect 
of  the  observers.  As  soon  as  the  bee-hunter  passed  the  dog, 
the  latter  growled,  showed  his  teeth  fiercely,  and  followed, 
keeping  closely  at  his  side.  The  confidence  and  alacrity  with 
which  le  Bourdon  moved  into  the  thicket,  compelled  his  com- 
panions to  be  on  the  alert ;  though  the  first  broke  through  the 


824  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

belt  of  liazles  which  enclosed  the  more  open  area  within,  a  few 
instants  before  the  Indians  reached  the  place.  Then  it  was  that 
there  arose  such  a  yell,  such  screechings  and  cries,  as  reached 
far  over  the  prairie,  and  might  have  appalled  the  stoutest  heart. 
The  picture  that  was  soon  offered  to  the  eye  was  not  less  ter- 
rific than  the  sounds  which  assailed  the  ear.  Hundreds  of 
savages,  in  their  war-paint,  armed,  and  in  a  crowded  maze, 
arose  as  it  might  be  by  one  effort,  seemingly  out  of  the  earth, 
and  began  to  leap  and  play  their  antics  amid  the  trees.  The 
sudden  spectacle  of  a  crowd  of  such  beings,  nearly  naked, 
frightfully  painted,  and  tossing  their  arms  here  and  there,  while 
each  yelled  like  a  demon,  was  enough  to  overcome  the  nerves 
of  a  very  resolute  man.  But  le  Bourdon  was  prepared  for  a 
conflict,  and  even  felt  relieved,  rather  than  alarmed,  when  he 
saw  the  savages.  His  ready  mind  at  once  conceived  the  truth. 
This  band  belonged  to  the  chiefs,  and  composed  the  whole,  or 
a  principal  part  of  the  force  which  he  knew  they  must  have 
outlying  somewhere  on  the  prairies,  or  in  the  openings.  He 
had  sufficiently  understood  the  hints  of  Pigeonswing  to  be  pre- 
pared for  such  a  meeting,  and  at  no  time,  of  late,  had  he  ap- 
proached a  cover,  without  remembering  the  possibility  of  its 
containing  Indians. 

Instead  of  betraying  alarm,  therefore,  when  this  cloud  of 
phantom-like  beings  rose  before  his  eyes,  le  Bourdon  stood  firm, 
merely  turning  toward  the  chiefs  behind  him,  to  ascertain  if 
they  wrere  taken  by  surprise,  as  well  as  himself.  It  was  apparent 
that  they  were  ;  for,  understanding  that  a  medicine-ceremony 
was  to  take  place  on  the  prairie,  these  "  young  men"  had  pre- 
ceded the  party  from  the  hut,  and  had,  unknown  to  all  the 
chiefs,  got  possession  of  this  copse,  as  the  best  available  cover, 
whence  to  make  their  observations  on  wThat  was  going  on. 

"  My  brother  sees  his  young  men,"  said  le  Bourdon,  quietly, 
the  instant  a  dead  calm  had  succeeded  to  the  outcries  with 
which  he  had  been  greeted.  "  I  thought  he  might  wish  to  say 
something  to  them,  and  my  bees  told  me  where  to  find  them. 
Does  my  brother  wish  to  know  any  thing  else  V 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  325 

Great  was  tlic  wonder  of  the  three  chiefs,  at  this  exhibition 
of  medicine  power !  So  far  from  suspecting  the  truth,  or  of 
detecting  the  lucky  coincidence  by  which  le  Bourdon  had  been 
led  to  the  cover  of  their  warriors,  it  all  appeared  to  them  to  be 
pure  necromancy.  Such  an  art  must  be  of  great  service  ;  and 
how  useful  it  would  be  to  the  warrior  on  his  path,  to  be  accom^ 
panied  by  one  who  could  thus  command  the  vigilance  of  the 
bees ! 

"You  find  enemy  all  same  as  friend?"  demanded  Peter, 
letting  out  the  thought  that  was  uppermost,  in  the  question. 

"To  be  sure.  It  makes  no  difference  with  a  bee ;  he  can 
find  an  enemy  as  easily  as  he  can  find  a  friend." 

"  No  whiskey-spring  dis  time?"  put  in  Crowsfeather,  a  little 
inopportunely,  and  with  a  distrust  painted  in  his  swarthy  face 
that  le  Bourdon  did  not  like. 

"Pottawattamie,  you  do  not  understand  medicine-men. 
Ought  I  to  have  shown  your  young  men  where  whiskey  was  to 
be  had  for  nothing  ?  Ask  yourself  that  question.  Did  you 
wish  to  see  your  young  .men  wallowing  like  hogs  in  such  a 
spring  j  What  would  the  great  medicine-priest  of  the  pale-faces, 
who  is  out  yonder,  have  said  to  that?" 

This  was  a  coup  de  maitre  on  the  part  of  the  bee-hunter. 
Until  that  moment,  the  affair  of  the  whiskey-spring  had  weighed 
heavily  in  the  balance  against  him  ;  but  now,  it  was  suddenly 
changed  over  in  the  scales,  and  told  as  strongly  in  his  favor. 
Even  a  savage  can  understand  the  morality  which  teaches  men 
to  preserve  their  reason,  and  not  to  lower  themselves  to  the 
level  of  brutes,  by  swallowing  "fire-water;"  and  Crowsfeather 
suddenly  saw  a  motive  for  regarding  our  hero  with  the  eyes  of 
favor,  instead  of  those  of  distrust  and  dislike. 

"What  the  pale-face  says  is  true,"  observed  Peter  to  his 
companion.  "Had  he  opened  his  spring,  your  warriors  would 
have  been  weaker  than  women.  He  is  a  wonderful  medicine- 
man, and  we  must  not  provoke  him  to  anger.  How  could  he 
know,  but  through  his  bees,  that  our  young  men  were  here?" 

This  question  could  not  be  answered ;  and  when  the  chiefs, 


320  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

followed  by  the  whole  band  of  warriors,  some  three  or  four 
hundred  in  number,  came  out  upon  the  open  prairie,  all  that 
had  passed  was  communicated  to  those  who  awaited  their  re- 
turn, in  a  few  brief,  but  clear  explanation.  Le  Bourdon  found 
a  moment  to  let  Margery  comprehend  his  position  and  views, 
while  Parson  Amen  and  the  corporal  were  put  sufficiently  on 
their  guard,  not  to  make  any  unfortunate  blunder.  The  ,ast 
was  much  more  easily  managed  than  the  first.  So  exceedingly 
sensitive  was  the  conscience  of  the  priest,  that  had  he  clearly 
understood  the  game  le  Bourdon  was  playing,  he  might  have 
revolted  at  the  idea  of  necromancy,  as  touching  on  the  province 
of  evil  spirits ;  but  he  was  so  well  mystified,  as  to  suppose  all 
that  passed  was  regularly  connected  with  the  art  of  taking  bees. 
In  this  respect,  he  and  the  Indians  equally  resembled  one  of 
those  familiar  pictures,  in  which  we  daily  see  men,  in  masses, 
contributing  to  their  own  deception  and  subjection,  while  they 
fondly  but  blindly  imagine  that  they  are  not  only  inventors, 
but  masters.  This  trade  of  mastery,  after  all,  is  the  property 
of  a  very  few  minds;  and  no  precaution  of  the  prudent,  no 
forethought  of  the  wary,  nor  any  expedient  of  charters,  consti- 
tutions, or  restrictions,  will  prevent  the  few  from  placing  their 
feet  on  the  neck  of  the  many.  We  may  revive  the  fable  of 
King  Log  and  King  Stork,  as  often,  and  in  as  many  forms  as 
we  will ;  it  will  ever  be  the  fable  of  King  Log  and  King  Stork. 
We  are  no  admirers  of  political  aristocracies,  as  a  thousand 
paragraphs  from  our  pen  will  prove ;  and,  as  for  monarchs,  we 
have  long  thought  they  best  enact  their  parts,  when  most  res- 
ponsible to  opinion ;  but  we  cannot  deceive  ourselves  on  the 
subject  of  the  atrocities  that  are  daily  committed  by  those  who 
are  ever  ready  to  assume  the  places  of  both,  making  their  fel- 
low-creatures in  masses  their  dupes,  and  using  those  that  they 
affect  to  serve. 

Ben  Boden  was  now  a  sort  of  u  gouvernement  jwovisoire" 
among  the  wondering  savages  who  surrounded  him.  He  had 
got  them  to  believe  in  necromancy — a  very  considerable  step 
toward  the  exercise  of  despotic  power.     It  is  true,  he  hardly 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  327 

knew,  himself,  wliat  was  to  be  done  next ;  but  lie  saw  quite 
distinctly  that  lie  was  in  a  dilemma,  and  must  manage  to  get 
out  of  it  by  some  means  or  other.  If  lie  could  only  succeed  in 
this  instance,  as  well  as  he  had  succeeded  in  bis  former  essay  in 
the  black  art,  all  migbt  be  well,  and  Margery  be  carried  in 
triumph  into  the  settlements.  Margery,  pro  lime  vice,  was  his 
goddess  of  liberty,  and  he  asked  for  no  higher  reward,  than  to 
be  permitted  to  live  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  sunshine 
of  her  smiles.  Liberty  !  a  word  that  is,  just  now,  in  all  men's 
mouths,  but  in  how  few  hearts  in  its  purity  and  truth  !  What 
a  melancholy  mistake,  moreover,  to  suppose  that,  could  it  be 
enjoyed  in  that  perfection  with  which  the  imaginations  of  men 
love  to  cheat  their  judgments,  it  is  the  great  good  of  life  !  One 
hour  spent  in  humble  veneration  for  the  Being  that  gave  it,  in 
common  with  all  of  earth,  its  vacillating  and  uncertain  exist- 
ence, is  of  more  account  than  ages  passed  in  its  service ;  and  he 
who  fancies  that  in  worshipping  liberty,  he  answers  the  great 
end  of  his  existence,  hugs  a  delusion  quite  as  weak,  and  infin- 
itely more  dangerous,  than  that  which  now  came  over  the  minds 
of  Peter  and  his  countrymen,  in  reference  to  the  intelligence  of 
the  bee.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  possess  the  defective  and  quali- 
fied freedom,  which  we  term  "  liberty ;"  but  it  is  a  grave  error 
to  set  it  up  as  an  idol  to  be  worshipped. 

"  What  my  brother  do  next  ?"  demanded  Bear's  Meat,  who, 
being  a  somewhat  vulgar-minded  savage,  was  all  for  striking 
and  wonder-working  exhibitions  of  necromancy.  "  P'raps  he 
find  some  honey,  now  lv 

"  If  you  wish  it,  chief.  What  says  Peter? — shall  I  ask  my 
bees  to  tell  where  there  is  a  hive?" 

As  Peter  very  readily  assented,  le  Bourdon  next  set  about 
achieving  this  new  feat  in  his  art.  The  reader  will  recollect 
that  the  positions  of  two  hives  were  already  known  to  the  bee- 
hunter,  by  means  of  that  very  simple  and  every-day  process  by 
which  he  earned  his  bread.  One  of  these  hives  was  in  the 
point  of  wood  already  mentioned,  that  lay  along  the  margin  of 
the  prairie  ;  while  the  other  was  in  this  very  copse,  where  the 


628  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

savages  had  secreted  themselves.  Boden  had  now  no  thought 
of  giving  any  further  disturbance  to  this  last-named  colony  of 
insects ;  for  an  insight  into  their  existence  might  disturb  the  in- 
fluence obtained  by  the  jugglery  of  the  late  discovery,  and  he  at 
once  turned  his  attention  toward  the  other  hive  indicated  by 
his  bees. 

Nor  did  le  Bourdon  now  deem  it  necessary  to  resort  to  his 
usual  means  of  carrying  on  his  trade.  These  were  not  neces- 
sary to  one  who  knew  already  where  the  hive  was  to  be  found, 
while  it  opened  the  way  to  certain  mummeries  that  might  be 
made  to  tell  well  in  support  of  his  assumed  character.  Catch- 
ing a  bee,  then,  and  keeping  it  confined  within  his  tumbler, 
Ben  held  the  last  to  his  ear,  as  if  listening  to  what  the  fluttering 
insect  had  to  say.  Having  seemingly  satisfied  himself  on  this 
■point,  he  desired  the  chiefs  once  more  to  follow  him,  having 
first  let  the  bee  go,  with  a  good  deal  of  ceremony.  This  set  all 
in  motion  again  ;  the  party  being  now  increased  by  the  whole 
band  of  saveges  who  had  been  "  put  up"  from  their  cover. 

By  this  time,  Margery  began  to  tremble  for  the  consequences. 
She  had  held  several  short  conferences  with  le  Bourdon,  as 
they  walked  together,  and  had  penetrated  far  enough  into  his 
purposes  to  see  that  he  was  playing  a  ticklish  game.  It  might 
succeed  for  a  time,  but  she  feared  it  must  fail  in  the  end ;  and 
there  was  always  the  risk  of  incurring  the  summary  vengeance 
of  savages.  Perhaps  she  did  not  fully  appreciate  the  power  of 
superstition,  and  the  sluggishness  of  the  mind  that  once  submits 
to  its  influence ;  while  her  woman's  heart  made  her  keenly 
alive  to  all  those  frightful  consequences  that  must  attend  an  ex- 
posure. Nevertheless,  nothing  could  now  be  done  to  avert  the 
consequences.  It  was  too  late  to  recede,  and  things  must  take 
their  course,  even  at  all  the  hazards  of  the  case.  That  she 
might  not  be  wholly  useless,  when  her  lover  was  risking  so 
much  for  herself — Margery  well  understanding  that  her  escape 
was  the  only  serious  difficulty  the  bee-hunter  apprehended — the 
girl  turned  all  her  attention  to  Peter,  in  whose  favor  she  felt 
that  she  had  been  daily  growing,  and  on  whose  pleasure  so  much 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  329 

must  depend.  Changing  her  position  a  little,  she  now  came 
closer  to  the  chief  than  she  had  hitherto  done. 

"  Squaw  like  medicine-man  J"  asked  Peter,  with  a  significance 
of  expression  that  raised  a  blush  in  Margery's  cheek. 

"  You  mean  to  ask  me  if  I  like  to  see  medicine-men  perform/' 
answered  Margery,  with  the  readiness  of  her  sex.  "  White 
women  are  always  curious,  they  say — how  is  it  with  the  women 
of  the  red  men  ?" 

"Juss  so — full  of  cur'osity.  Squaw  is  squaw — no  matter 
what  color." 

"I  am  sorry,  Peter,  you  do  not  think  better  of  squaws. 
Perhaps  you  never  had  a  squaw — no  wife,  or  daughter  V 

A  gleam  of  powerful  feeling  shot  athwart  the  dark  counte- 
nance of  the  Indian,  resembling  the  glare  of  the  electric  fluid 
flashing  on  a  cloud  at  midnight ;  but  it  passed  away  as  quickly 
as  it  appeared,  leaving  in  its  stead  the  hard,  condensed  ex- 
pression, which  the  intensity  of  a  purpose  so  long  entertained 
and  cultivated,  had  imprinted  there,  as  indelibly  as  if  cut  in 
stone. 

"  All  chief  have  squaw — all  chief  have  pappoose — "  was  the 
answer  that  came  at  last.      "  What  he  good  for,  eh  V1 

" It  is  always  good  to  have  children,  Peter;  especially  when 
the  children  themselves  are  good." 

"  Good  for  pale-face,  maybe — no  good  for  Injin.  Pale-face 
glad  when  pappoose  born — redskin  sorry." 

"  I  hope  this  is  not  so.  Why  should  an  Injin  be  sorry  to  see 
the  laugh  of  his  little  son  ?" 

"  Laugh  when  he  little — p'raps  so  ;  he  little,  and  don't  know 
what  happen.  But  Injin  don't  laugh  any  more  when  he  grow 
up.  Game  gone ;  land  gone ;  corn-field  gone.  No  more  room 
for  Injin — pale-face  want  all.  Pale -face  young  man  laugh — 
redskin  young  man  cry.     Dat  how  it  is." 

"  Oh !  I  hope  not,  Peter !  I  should  be  sorry  to  think  it  was 
so.  The  red  man  has  as  good  a  right — nay,  he  has  a  better 
right  to  this  country  than  we  whites ;  and  God  forbid  that  he 
should  not  always  have  his  full  share  of  the  land  !" 


330  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

Margery  probably  owed  her  life  to  that  honest,  natural  burst 
of  feeling,  which  was  uttered  with  a  warmth  and  sincerity  that 
could  leave  no  doubt  that  the  sentiment  expressed  came  from 
the  heart.  Tims  singularly  are  we  constructed  !  A  minute 
before,  and  no  exemption  was  made  in  the  mind  of  Peter,  in 
behalf  of  this  girl,  in  the  plan  he  had  formed  for  cutting  off  the 
whites  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  had  often  bethought  him  of  the 
number  of  young  pale-faces  that  might  be,  as  it  were,  strangled 
in  their  cradles,  by  including  the  bee-hunter  and  his  intended 
squaw  in  the  contemplated  sacrifice.  All  this  was  changed,  as 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  by  Margery's  honest  and  fervent  ex- 
pression of  her  sense  of  right,  on  the  great  subject  that  occu- 
pied all  of  Peter's  thoughts.  These  sudden  impulses  in  the 
direction  of  love  for  our  species,  the  second  of  the  high  lessons 
left  by  the  Eedeemer  to  his  disciples,  are  so  many  proofs  of  the 
creation  of  man  in  the  image  of  his  maker.  They  exert  their 
power  often  when  least  expected,  and  are  ever  stamped  by  the 
same  indelible  impression  of  their  divine  origin.  Without 
these  occasional  glimpses  at  those  qualities  which  are  so  apt  to 
lie  dormant,  we  might  indeed  despair  of  the  destinies  of  our 
race.  We  are,  however,  in  safe  and  merciful  hands ;  and  all  the 
wonderful  events  that  are  at  this  moment  developing  themselves 
around  us,  are  no  other  than  the  steps  taken  by  Providence  in 
the  progress  it  is  steadily  making  toward  the  great  and  glorious 
end  !  Some  of  the  agencies  will  be  corrupt;  others  deluded  ; 
and  no  one  of  them  all,  perhaps,  will  pursue  with  unerring 
wisdom  the  precise  path  that  ought  to  be  taken  ;  but  even  the 
crimes,  errors,  and  delusions,  will  be  made  instrumental  in 
achieving  that  which  was  designed  before  the  foundations  of 
this  world  were  laid  ! 

"  Does  my  daughter  wish  this  ?"  returned  Peter,  when  Mar- 
gery had  thus  frankly  and  sincerely  given  vent  to  her  feelings. 
"  Can  a  pale-face  squaw  wish  to  leave  an  Injin  any  of  his  hunt- 
ing-grounds ?" 

"  Thousands  of  us  wish  it,  Peter,  and  I  for  one.  Often  and 
often  have  we  talked  of  this  around  our  family  fire,  and  even 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  331 

Gershom,  when  his  head  has  not  been  affected  by  fire-water, 
has  thought  as  we  all  have  thought.  I  know  that  Bourdon 
thinks  so,  too ;  and  I  have  heard  him  say  that  he  thought  Con- 
gress ought  to  pass  a  law  to  prevent  white  men  from  getting 
any  more  of  the  Injin's  lands." 

The  face  of  Peter  would  have  been  a  remarkable  study,  dur- 
ing the  few  moments  that  his  fierce  will  was  in  the  process  of 
being  brought  in  subjugation  to  the  influence  of  his  better  feel- 
ings. At  first  he  appeared  bewildered  ;  then  compunction  had 
its  shade ;  and  human  sympathy  came  last,  asserting  its  long- 
dormant,  but  inextinguishable  power.  Margery  saw  some  of 
this,  though  it  far  exceeded  her  penetration  to  read  all  the 
workings  of  that  stern  and  savage  mind ;  yet  she  felt  encouraged 
by  what  she  did  see  and  understand. 

While  an  almighty  and  divine  Providence  was  thus  carrying 
out  its  own  gracious  designs  in -its  own  way,  the  bee-hunter 
continued  bent  on  reaching  a  similar  end  by  means  of  his  own. 
Little  did  he  imagine  how  much  had  been  done  for  him  within 
the  last  few  moments,  and  how  greatly  all  he  had  in  view  was 
jeoparded  and  put  at  risk  by  his  own  contrivances — contrivances 
which  seemed  to  him  so  clever,  but  which  were  wanting  in  the 
unerring  simplicity  and  truth  that  render  those  that  come  from 
above  infallible.  Still,  the  expedients  of  le  Bourdon  may  have 
had  their  agency  in  bringing  about  events,  and  may  have  been 
intended  to  be  a  part  of  that  moral  machinery,  which  was  now 
at  work  in  the  breast  of  Peter,  for  good. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  bee-hunter  habitually  carried 
a  small  spy-glass,  as  a  part  of  the  implements  of  his  calling.  It 
enabled  him  to  watch  the  bees,  as  they  went  in  and  came  out 
of  the  hives,  on  the  highest  trees,  and  often  saved  him  hours  of 
fruitless  search.  This  glass  wa§  now  in  his  hand  ;  for  an  ob- 
ject on  a  dead  tree,  that  rose  a  little  apart  from  those  around 
it,  and  which  stood  quite  near  the  extreme  point  in  the  forest, 
toward  which  they  were  all  proceeding,  had  caught  his  atten- 
tion. The  distance  was  still  too  great  to  ascertain  by  the  naked 
eye  what  that  object  was ;  but  a  single  look  with  the  glass 


332  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

showed*  that  it  was  a  bear.  This  was  an  old  enemy  of  the  bee- 
hunter,  who  often  encountered  the  animal,  endeavoring  to  get 
at  the  honey,  and  he  had  on  divers  occasions  been  obliged  to 
deal  with  these  plunderers,  before  he  could  succeed  in  his  own 
plans  of  pilfering.  The  bear  now  seen  continued  in  sight  but 
an  instant;  the  height  to  which  he  had  clambered  being  so 
great,  most  probably,  as  to  weary  him  with  the  effort,  and  to 
compel  him  to  fall  back  again.  All  this  was  favorable  to  le 
Bourdon's  wishes,  who  immediately  called  a  halt. 

The  first  thing  that  Bourdon  did,  when  all  the  dark  eyes 
were  gleaming  on  him  in  fierce  curiosity,  was  to  catch  a  bee 
and  hold  it  to  his  ear,  as  it  buzzed  about  in  the  tumbler. 

"  You  t'ink  dat  bee  talk?"  Peter  asked  of  Margery,  in  a  tone 
of  confidence,  as  if  a  newly-awakened  principle  now  existed 
between  them. 

"  Bourdon  must  think  so,  Peter,"  the  girl  evasively  answer- 
ed, "  or  he  would  hardly  listen  to  hear  what  it  says." 

"  It  strange,  bee  should  talk !  Almos'  as  strange  as  pale-face 
wish  to  leave  Injin  any  land  !  Sartain,  bee  talk,  eh  ¥* 

"  I  have  never  heard  one  talk,  Peter,  unless  it  might  be  in  its 
buzzing.  That  may  be  the  tongue  of  a  bee,  for  any  thing  I 
know  to  the  contrary." 

By  this  time  le  Bourdon  seemed  to  be  satisfied,  and  let  the 
bee  go ;  the  savages  murmuring  their  wonder  and  admiration. 

"Do  my  brothers  wish  to  hunt?"  asked  the  bee-hunter  in 
a  voice  so  loud  that  all  near  might  hear  what  he  had  to  say. 

This  question  produced  a  movement  at  once.  Skill  in 
hunting,  next  to  success  on  the  war-path,  constitutes  the  great 
merit  of  an  Indian ;  and  it  is  ever  his  delight  to  show  that  he 
possesses  it.  No  sooner  did  le  Bourdon  throw  out  his  feeler, 
therefore,  than  a  general  exclamation  proclaimed  the  readiness 
of  all  the  young  men,  in  particular,  to  join  in  the  chase. 

"  Let  my  brothers  come  closer,"  said  Ben,  in  an  authorita- 
tive manner  ;  "I  have  something  to  put  into  their  ears.  They 
see  that  point  of  wood,  where  the  dead  bass-wood  has  fallen  on 
the  prairie.     Near  that  bass-wood  is  honey,  and  near  that  honey 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  333 

are  bears.  This  my  bees  have  told  me.  Now,  let  my  brothers 
divide,  and  some  go  into  the  woods,  and  some  stay  on  the 
prairie ;  then  they  will  have  plenty  of  sweet  food." 

As  all  this  was  very  simple,  and  easily  to  be  comprehended, 
not  a  moment  was  lost  in  the  execution.  "With  surprising  order 
and  aptitude,  the  chiefs  led  off  their  parties ;  one  line  of  dark 
warriors  penetrating  the  forest  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  bass- 
wood,  and  another  on  its  western ;  while  a  goodly  number 
scattered  themselves  on  the  prairie  itself,  in  its  front.  In  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  signals  came  from  the  forest  that 
the  battue  was  ready,  and  Peter  gave  the  answering  sign  to 
proceed. 

Down  to  this  moment,  doubts  existed  among  the  savages 
concerning  the  accuracy  of  le  Bourdon's  statement.  How  was 
it  possible  that  his  bees  should  tell  him  where  he  could  find 
bears  ?  To  be  sure,  bears  were  the  great  enemies  of  bees — this 
every  Indian  knew — but  could  the  bees  have  a  faculty  of  thus 
arming  one  enemy  against  another  ?  These  doubts,  however, 
were  soon  allayed  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  drove  of 
bears,  eight  or  ten  in  number,  that  came  waddling  out  of  the 
woods,  driven  before  the  circle  of  shouting  hunters  that  had 
been  formed  within. 

Now  commenced  a  scene  of  wild  tumult  and  of  fierce  delight. 
The  warriors  on  the  prairie  retired  before  their  enemies  until 
all  of  their  associates  were  clear  of  the  forest,  when  the  circle 
swiftly  closed  again,  until  it  had  brought  the  bears  to  something 
like  close  quarters.  Bear's  Meat,  as  became  his  appellation,  led 
off  the  dance,  letting  fly  an  arrow  at  the  nearest  animal.  As- 
tounded by  the  great  number  of  their  enemies,  and  not  a  little 
appalled  by  their  yells,  the  poor  quadrupeds  did  not  know  which 
way  to  turn.  Occasionally,  attempts  were  made  to  break 
through' the  circle,  but  the  flight  of  arrows,  aimed  directly  at 
their  faces,  invariably  drove  the  creatures  back.  Fire-arms 
were  not  resorted  to  at  all  in  this  hunt,  spears  and  arrows 
being  the  weapons  depended  on.  Several  ludicrous  incidents 
occurred,  but   none  that  were  tragical.     One    or  two  of  the 


334  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

more  reckless  of  the  hunters,  ambitious  of  shining  before  the 
representatives  of  so  many  tribes,  ran  rather  greater  risks  than 
were  required,  but  they  escaped  with  a  few  smart  scratches.  In 
one  instance,  however,  a  young  Indian  had  a  still  narrower 
squeeze  for  his  life.  Literally  a  squeeze  it  was,  for,  suffering  him- 
self to  get  within  the  grasp  of  a  bear,  he  came  near  being 
pressed  to  death,  ere  his  companions  could  dispatch  the  crea- 
ture. As  for  the  prisoner,  the  only  means  he  had  to  prevent 
his  being  bitten,  was  to  thrust  the  head  of  his  spear  into  the 
bear's  mouth,  where  he  succeeded  in  holding  it,  spite  of  the 
animal's  efforts  to  squeeze  him  into  submission.  By  the  time 
this  combat  was  terminated,  the  field  was  strewn  with  the  slain ; 
every  one  of  the  bears  having  been  killed  by  hunters  so  much 
practised  in  the  art  of  destroying  game. 


t'ii e    oak    openings.  83C 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"  She  was  an  only  child— her  name  Ginevra ; 
The  joy,  the  pride  of  an  indulgent  father; 
And  in  her  fifteenth  year  became  a  bride, 
Marrying  an  only  son,  Francesco  Doria, 
Her  playmate  from  her  birth,  and  her  first  love.'" 

Eogees. 

During  the  hunt  there  was  little  leisure  for  reflection  on  the 
seemingly  extraordinary  manner  in  which  the  bee-hunter  had 
pointed  out  the  spot  where  the  bears  were  to  be  found.  No 
one  of  the  Indians  had  seen  him  apply  the  glass  to  his  eye,  for, 
leading  the  party,  he  had  been  able  to  do  this  unobserved ; 
but,  had  they  witnessed  such  a  procedure,  it  would  have  been 
as  inexplicable  as  all  the  rest.  It  is  true,  Crowsfeather  and  one 
or  two  of  his  companions  had  taken  a  look  through  that  medi- 
cine-glass, but  it  rather  contributed  to  increase  the  conjuror's 
renown,  than  served  to  explain  any  of  the  marvels  he  per- 
formed. 

Peter  was  most  struck  with  all  that  had  just  occurred.  He 
had  often  heard  of  the  skill  of  those  who  hunted  bees,  and  had 
several  times  met  with  individuals  who  practised  the  art,  but 
this  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  he  had  ever  been  a  witness, 
in  his  own  person,  of  the  exercise  of  a  craft  so  wonderful !  Had 
the  process  been  simply  that  of  catching  a  bee,  filling  it  with 
honey,  letting  it  go,  and  then  following  it  to  its  hive,  it  would 
have  been  so  simple  as  to  require  no  explanation.  But  Peter 
was  too  intelligent,  as  well  as  too  observant,  not  to  have  seen 
that  a  great  deal  more  than  this  was  necessary.  On  the  sup- 
position that  the  bee  flew  toward  the  forest,  as  had  been  the 
fact  with  two  of  the  bees  taken  that  morning,  in  what  part  of 


336  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

that  forest  was  the  hunter  to  look  for  the  bee-tree  %  It  was  the 
angle  that  perplexed  Peter,  as  it  did  all  the  Indians ;  for  that 
angle,  to  be  understood,  required  a  degree  of  knowledge  and 
calculation  that  entirely  exceeded  all  he  had  ever  acquired. 
Thus  is  it  with  us  ever. '  The  powers,  and  faculties,  and  prin- 
ciples that  are  necessary  fully  to  comprehend  all  that  we  see, 
and  all  that  surrounds  us,  exist  and  have  been  bestowed  on  man 
by  his  beneficent  Creator.  Still,  it  is  only  by  slow  degrees 
that  he  is  to  become  their  master,  acquiring  knowledge  step  by 
step,  as  he  has  need  of  its  services,  and  learns  how  to  use  it. 
Such  seems  to  be  the  design  of  Providence,  which  is  gradually 
opening  to  our  inquiries  the  arcana  of  nature,  in  order  that  we 
may  convert  their  possession  into  such  uses  as  will  advance  its 
own  wise  intentions.  Happy  are  they  who  feel  this  truth  in 
their  character  of  individuals  !  Thrice  happy  the  nations  which 
can  be  made  to  understand,  that  the  surest  progress  is  that 
which  is  made  on  the  devest  principles,  and  with  the  greatest 
caution  !  The  notion  of  setting  up  any  thing  new  in  morals, 
is  as  fallacious  in  theory  as  it  will  be  found  to  be  dangerous  in 
practice. 

It  has  been  said  that  a  sudden  change  had  come  over  the 
fierce  purposes  of  Peter.  For  some  time,  the  nature,  artless- 
ness,  truth,  feminine  playfulness  and  kindness,  not  to  say  per- 
sonal beauty  of  Margery,  had  been  gradually  softening  the 
heart  of  this  stern  savage,  as  it  respected  the  girl  herself. 
Nothing  of  a  weak  nature  wTas  blended  with  this  feeling,  which 
was  purely  the  growth  of  that  divine  principle  that  is  implanted 
in  us  all.  The  quiet,  earnest  manner  in  which  the  girl  had, 
that  day,  protested  her  desire  to  see  the  rights  of  the  red  man 
respected,  completed  her  conquest ;  and,  so  far  as  the  great 
chief  was  concerned,  secured  her  safety.  It  may  seem  singular, 
however,  that  Peter,  with  all  his  influence,  w^as  unable  to  say 
that  even  one  that  he  was  so  much  disposed  to  favor,  should  be 
spared.  By  means  of  his  own  eloquence,  and  perseverance, 
and  deep  desire  for  vengeance,  however,  he  had  aroused  a  spirit 
among  his  followers  that  was  not  so  easily  quelled.     On  several 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  337 

occasions,  he  had  found  it  difficult  to  prevent  the  younger  and 
more  impetuous  of  the  chiefs  from  proceeding  at  once  to  secure 
the  scalps  of  those  who  were  in  their  power  ;  and  this  he  had 
done,  only  by  promising  to  increase  the  number  of  the  victims. 
How  was  he  then  to  lessen  that  number  ?  and  that,  too,  when 
circumstances  did  not  seem  likely  to  throw  any  more  immedi- 
ately into  his  power,  as  he  had  once  hoped.  This  council  must 
soon  be  over,  and  it  would  not  be  in  his  power  to  send  the 
chiefs  away  without  enumerating  the  scalps  of  the  pale-faces 
present  among  those  which  were  to  make  up  the  sum  of  their 
race. 

Taking  the  perplexity  produced  by  the  bee-hunter's  necro- 
mancy, and  adding  it  to  his  concern  for  Margery,  Peter  found 
ample  subject  for  all  his  reflections.  "While  the  young  men 
were  dressing  their  bears,  and  making  the  preparations  for  a 
feast,  he  walked  apart,  like  a  man  whose  thoughts  had  little  in 
common  with  the  surrounding  scene.  Even  the  further  pro- 
ceedings of  le  Bourdon,  who  had  discovered  his  bee-tree,  had 
felled  it,  and  was  then  distributing  the  honey  among  the  In- 
dians, could  not  draw  him  from  his  meditations.  The  great 
council  of  all  was  to  be  held  that  very  day — there,  on  Prairie 
Eound — and  it  was  imperative  on  Peter  to  settle  the  policy  he 
intended  to  pursue,  previously  to  the  hour  when  the  fire  was  to 
be  lighted,  and  the  chiefs  met  in  final  consultation. 

In  the  mean  time,  le  Bourdon,  by  his  distribution  of  the 
honey,  no  less  than  by  the  manner  in  which  he  had  found  it, 
was  winning  golden  opinions  of. those  who  shared  in  his  bounty. 
One  would  think  that  the  idea  of  property  is  implanted  in  us 
by  nature,  since  men  in  all  conditions  appear  to  entertain  strong 
and  distinct  notions  of  this  right.  Natural  it  may  not  be,  in 
the  true  signification  of  the  term  ;  but  it  is  a  right  so  inter- 
woven with  those  that  are  derived  from  nature,  and  more  par- 
ticularly with  our  wants,  as  almost  to  identify  it  with  the 
individual  being.  It  is  certain  that  all  we  have  of  civilization 
is  dependent  on  a  just  protection  of  this  right ;  for,  without  the 
assurance  of  enjoying  his  earnings,  who  would  produce  beyond 
15 


338  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

the  supply  necessary  for  his  own  immediate  wants  ?  Among 
the  American  savages  the  rights  of  property  are  distinctly  re- 
cognized, so  far  as  their  habits  and  resources  extend.  The 
hunting-ground  belongs  to  the  tribe,  and  occasionally  the  field  ; 
but  the  wigwam,  and  the  arms,  and  the  skins,  both  for  use  and 
for  market,  and  often  the  horses,  and  all  other  movables,  belong 
to  the  individual.  So  sacred  is  this  right  held  to  be,  that  not 
one  of  those  who  stood  by,  and  saw  le  Bourdon  fell  his  tree, 
and  who  witnessed  the  operation  of  bringing  to  light  its  stores 
of  honey,  appeared  to  dream  of  meddling  with  the  delicious 
store,  until  invited  so  to  do  by  its  lawful  owner.  It  was  this 
reserve,  and  this  respect  for  a  recognized  principle,  that  enabled 
the  bee-hunter  to  purchase  a  great  deal  of  popularity,  by  giving 
away  liberally  an  article  so  much  prized.  None,  indeed,  was 
reserved ;  Boden  seeing  the  impossibility  of  carrying  it  away. 
Happy  would  he  have  been,  most  happy,  could  he  have  felt  the 
assurance  of  being  able  to  get  Margery  off,  without  giving  a 
second  thought  to  any  of  his  effects,  whether  present  or  absent. 
As  has  been  intimated,  the  bee-hunter  was  fast  rising  in 
the  favor  of  the  warriors  ;  particularly  of  those  who  had  a  weak- 
ness on  the  score  of  the  stomach.  This  is  the  first  great  avenue 
to  the  favor  of  man — the  belly  ruling  all  the  other  members, 
the  brains  included.  All  this  Peter  noted,  and  was  now  glad 
to  perceive ;  for,  in  addition  to  the  favor  that  Margery  had 
found  in  his  eyes,  that  wary  chief  had  certain  very  serious  mis- 
givings on  the  subject  of  the  prudence  of  attempting  to  deal 
harshly  with  a  medicine-man  of  Boden' s  calibre.  Touching  the 
whiskey-spring  he  had  been  doubtful,  from  the  first;  even 
Crowsfeather's  account  of  the  wonderful  glass  through  which 
that  chief  had  looked,  and  seen  men  reduced  to  children,  and 
then  converted  into  giants,  had  failed  to  conquer  his  scepticism  ; 
but  he  was  not  altogether  proof  against  what  he  had  that  day 
beheld  with  his  own  eyes.  These  marvels  shook  his  previous 
opinion  touching  the  other  matters ;  and,  altogether,  the  effect 
was  to  elevate  the  bee-hunter  to  a  height,  that  it  really  appeared 
dangerous  to  assail. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  339 

While  Peter  was  thus  shaken  with  doubts — and  that,  too,  on  a 
point  on  which  he  had  hitherto  stood  as  firm  as  a  rock — there 
was  another  in  the  crowd,  who  noted  the  growing  favor  of  le 
Bourdon  with  deep  disgust.  This  man  could  hardly  be  termed 
a  chief,  though  he  possessed  a  malignant  power  that  was  often 
wielded  to  the  discomfiture  of  those  who  were.  He  went  by 
the  significant  appellation  of  "  The  Weasel,"  a  sobriquet  that 
had  been  bestowed  on  him  for  some  supposed  resemblance  tc 
the  little  pilfering,  prowling  quadruped  after  which  he  was  thus 
named.  In  person,  and  in  physical  qualities  generally,  this 
individual  was  mean  and  ill-favored ;  and  squalid  habits  con- 
tributed to  render  him  even  less  attractive  than  he  might  other- 
wise have  been.  He  was,  moreover,  particularly  addicted  to 
intemperance  ;  lying,  wallowing  like  a  hog,  for  days  at  a  time, 
whenever  his  tribe  received  any  of  the  ample  contribution  of 
fire-water,  which  it  was  then  more  the  custom  than  it  is  to-day, 
to  send  among  the  aborigines.  A  warrior  of  no  renown,  a 
hunter  so  indifferent  as  to  compel  his  squaw  and  pappooses 
often  to  beg  for  food  in  strange  lodges,  of  mean  presence,  and 
a  drunkard,  it  may  seem  extraordinary  that  the  Weasel  should 
possess  any  influence  amid  so  many  chiefs  renowned  for  courage, 
wisdom,  deeds  in  arms,  on  the  hunt,  and  for  services  around 
the  council-fire.  It  was  all  due  to  his  tongue.  Ungque,  or 
the  Weasel,  was  eloquent  in  a  high  degree — possessing  that 
variety  of  his  art  which  most  addresses  itself  to  the  passions ; 
and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  men  are  oftener  and  more  easily 
led  by  those  who  do  little  else  than  promise,  than  by  those 
who  actually  perform.  A  lying  and  fluent  tongue  becomes  a 
power  of  itself,  with  the  masses ;  subverting  reason,  looking 
down  justice,  brow-beating  truth,  and  otherwise  placing  the 
wrong  before  the  right.  This  quality  the  Weasel  possessed  in 
a  high  degree,  and  was  ever  willing  to  use,  on  occasions  that 
seemed  most  likely  to  defeat  the  wishes  of  those  he  hated. 
Among  the  last  was  Peter,  whose  known  ascendency  in  his  own 
particular  tribe  had  been  a  source  of  great  envy  and  uneasiness 
to  this  Indian.     He  had  struggled  hard  to  resist  it,  and  had 


340  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

even  dared  to  speak  in  favor  of  the  pale-faces,  and  in  opposition 
to  the  plan  of  cutting  them  all  off,  purely  with  a  disposition  to 
oppose  this  mysterious  stranger.  It  had  been  in  vain,  however; 
the  current  running  the  other  way,  and  the  fiery  eloquence  of 
Peter  proving  too  strong  even  for  him.  Now,  to  his  surprise, 
from  a  few  words  dropped  casually,  this  man  ascertained  that 
their  greatest  leader  was  disposed  so  far  to  relent,  as  not  to 
destroy  all  the  pale-faces  in  his  power.  Whom,  and  how  many 
he  meant  to  spare,  Ungque  could  not  tell ;  but  his  quick, 
practised  discernment  detected  the  general  disposition,  and  his 
ruthless  tendency  to  oppose,  caused  him  to  cast  about  for  the 
means  of  resisting  this  sudden  inclination  to  show  mercy.  With 
the  Weasel,  the  moving  principle  was  ever  that  of  the  dema- 
gogue ;  it  was  to  flatter  the  mass  that  he  might  lead  it ;  and  he 
had  an  innate  hostility  to  whatever  was  frank,  manly,  and  noble. 

The  time  had  now  come  when  the  Indians  wished  to  be  alone. 
At  this  council  it  was  their  intention  to  come  to  an  important 
decision ;  and  even  the  "  young  men,"  unless  chiefs,  were  to  be 
merely  distant  spectators.  Peter  sent  for  le  Bourdon,  accord- 
ingly, and  communicated  his  wish  that  all  the  whites  would 
return  to  the  castle,  whither  he  promised  to  join  them  about 
the  setting  of  the  sun,  or  early  the  succeeding  day. 

"One  of  you,  you  know — dat  my  wigwam,"  said  the  grim 
chief,  smiling  on  Margery  with  a  friendly  eye,  and  shaking 
hands  with  the  bee-hunter,  who  thought  his  manner  less  con- 
strained than  on  former  similar  occasions.  "Get  good  supper 
for  ole  Injin,  young  squaw;  dat  juss  what  squaw  good  for," 

Margery  laughingly  promised  to  remember  his  injunction, 
and  went  her  way,  closely  attended  by  her  lover.  The  corporal 
followed,  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  keeping  at  just  such  a  dis- 
tance from  the  young  people,  as  might  enable  them  to  converse 
without  being  overheard.  As  for  the  missionary,  he  was  de- 
tained a  moment  by  Peter,  the  others  moving  slowly,  in  order 
to  permit  him  to  come  up,  ere  they  had  gone  their  first  mile. 
Of  course,  the  mysterious  chief  had  not  detained  Parson  Amen 
without  a  motive. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  341 

"  My  brother  lias  told  me  many  curious  tilings,"  said  Peter, 
when  alone  with  the  missionary,  and  speaking  now  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Ojebways — "  many  very  curious  things.  I  like  tc 
listen  to  them.  Once  he  told  me  how  the  pale-face  young  men 
take  their  squawrs."  ^ 

"  I  remember  to  have  told  you  this.  "We  ask  the  Great 
Spirit  to  bless  our  marriages,  and  the  ceremony  is  commonly 
performed  by  a  priest.  This  is  our  practice,  Peter ;  though 
not  necessary,  I  think  it  good." 

"  Yes ;  good  alway  for  pale-face  to  do  pale-face  fashion,  and 
for  Injin  to  do  Injin  fashion.  Don't  want  medicine-man  to  get 
red-skin  squaw.  Open  wigwam  door,  and  she  come  in.  Dat 
'nough.  If  she  don't  wish  to  come  in,  can't  make  her.  Squaw 
go  to  warrior  she  likes  ;  warrior  ask  squaw  he  likes.  But  it  is 
best  for  pale-face  to  take  his  wife  in  pale-face  fashion.  Does 
not  my  brother  see  a  young  man  of  his  people,  and  a  young 
maiden,  that  he  had  better  bring  together  and  bless  ?" 

"  You  must  mean  Bourdon  and  Margery,"  answered  the  mis- 
sionary, in  English,  after  a  moment's  reflection.  "  The  idea  is 
a  new  one  to  me;  for  my  mind  has  been  much  occupied  of  late, 
with  other  and  more  important  matters ;  though  I  now  plainly 
see  what  you  mean  !" 

"  That  flower  of  the  openings  would  soon  fade,  if  the  young 
bee-hunter  should  leave  it  alone  on  the  prairies.  This  is  the 
will  of  the  Great  Spirit.  He  puts  it  into  the  minds  of  the 
young  squaws  to  see  all  things  well  that  the  hunters  of  their 
fancy  do.  Why  he  has  made  the  young  with  this  kindness  for 
each  other,  perhaps  my  brother  knows.  He  is  wise,  and  has 
books.  The  poor  Injins  have  none.  They  can  see  only  with 
the  eyes  they  got  from  Injins,  like  themselves.  But  one  thing 
they  know.  What  the  Great  Spirit  has  commanded,  is  good. 
Injins  can't  make  it  any  better.  They  can  do  it  harm,  but  they 
can  do  it  no  good.  Let  my  brother  bless  the  couple  that  the 
Manitou  has  brought  together." 

"  I  believe  I  understand  you,  Peter,  and  will  think  of  this. 
And  now  that  I  must  leave  you  for  a  little  while,  let  me  beg 


342  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

you  to  think  of  this  matter  of  the  origin  of  your  tribes,  candid- 
ly, and  with  care.  Every  thing  depends  on  your  people's  not 
mistaking  the  truth,  in  this  great  matter.  It  is  as  necessary  for 
a  nation  to  know  its  duties,  as  for  a  single  man.  Promise  me 
to  think  of  this,  Peter." 

"  My  brother's  words  have  come  into  my  ears — they  are 
good,"  returned  the  Indian,  courteously.  "We  will  think  of 
them  at  the  council,  if  my  brother  will  bless  his  }7oung  man  and 
young  maiden,  according  to  the  law  of  his  people." 

"I  will  promise  to  do  this,  Peter;  or  to  urge  Bourdon  and 
Margery  to  do  it,  if  you  will  promise  to  speak  to-day,  in  coun- 
cil, of  the  history  of  your  forefathers,  and  to  take  into  considera- 
tion, once  more,  the  great  question  of  your  being  Hebrews." 

"  I  will  speak  as  my  brother  wishes — let  him  do  as  I  wish. 
Let  him  tell  me  that  I  can  say  to  the  chiefs  before  the  sun  has 
fallen  the  length  of  my  arm,  that  the  young  pale-face  bee-hunter 
has  taken  the  young  pale-face  squaw  into  his  wigwam." 

"I  do  not  understand  your  motive,  Peter;  but  that  which 
you  ask  is  wise,  and  according  to  God's  laws,  and  it  shall  be 
done.  Fare  you  well,  then,  for  a  season.  When  we  again 
meet,  Bourdon  and  Margery  shall  be  one,  if  my  persuasions 
can  prevail,  and  you  will  have  pressed  this  matter  of  the  lost 
tribes,  again,  home  to  your  people.  Fare  you  well,  Peter ;  fare 
you  well." 

They  separated;  the  Indian  with  a  cold  smile  of  courtesy, 
but  with  his  ruthless  intentions  as  respected  the  missionary  in 
no  degree  changed.  Boden  and  Margery  alone  were  exempt 
from  vengeance,  according  to  his  present  designs.  An  unac- 
countable gentleness  of  feeling  governed  him,  as  connected  with 
the  girl;  while  superstition,  and  the  dread  of  an  unknown 
power,  had  its  full  influence  on  his  determination  to  spare  her 
lover.  There  might  be  some  faint  ray  of  human  feeling  glim- 
mering among  the  fierce  fires  that  so  steadily  burned  in  the 
breast  of  this  savage ;  but  they  were  so  much  eclipsed  by  the 
brighter  light  that  gleamed  around  them,  as  to  be  barely  per- 
ceptible, even  to  himself.     The  result  of  all  these  passions  was, 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  343 

a  determination  in  Peter  to  spare  those  whom  he  had  advised 
the  missionary  to  unite — making  that  union  a  mysterious  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  Margery — and  to  sacrifice  all  the  rest.  The 
red  American  is  so  much  accustomed  to  this  species  of  ruthless 
proceeding,  that  the  anguish  he  might  occasion  the  very  beings 
to  whom  he  now  wished  to  be  merciful,  gave  the  stern  chief 
very  little  concern.  Leaving  the  Indians  in  the  exclusive  pos- 
session of  Prairie  Kound,  we  will  return  to  the  rest  of  the  party. 

The  missionary  hastened  after  his  friends  as  fast  as  he  could 
go.  Boden  and  Margery  had  much  to  say  to  each  other  in 
that  walk,  which  had  a  great  deal  about  it  to  bring  their 
thoughts  within  the  circle  of  their  own  existence.  As  has  been 
said,  the  fire  had  run  through  that  region  late,  and  the  grasses 
were  still  young,  offering  but  little  impediment  to  their  move- 
ments. As  the  clay  was  now  near  its  heat,  le  Bourdon  led  his 
spirited,  but  gentle  companion,  through  the  groves,  where  they 
had  the  benefit  of  a  most  delicious  shade,  a  relief  that  was  now 
getting  to  be  very  grateful.  Twice  had  they  stopped  to  drink 
at  cool,  clear  springs,  in  which  the  water  seemed  to  vie  with  the 
air  in  transparency.  As  this  is  not  the  general  character  of  the 
water  of  that  region,  though  marked  exceptions  exist,  Margery 
insisted  that  the  water  was  eastern  and  not  western  water. 

"  "Why  do  we  always  think  the  things  we  had  in  childhood 
better  than  those  we  enjoy  afterward?"  asked  Margery,  after 
making  one  of  these  comparisons,  somewhat  to  the*  disadvan- 
tage of  the  part  of  the  country  in  which  she  then  was.  "I  can 
scarce  ever  think  of  home — what  I  call  home,  and  which  was 
so  long  a  home  to  me — without  shedding  tears.  Nothing  here 
seems  as  good  of  its  kind  as  what  I  have  left  behind  me.  Do 
you  have  the  same  longings  for  Pennsylvania  that  I  feel  for  the 
sea-coast  and  for  the  rocks  about  Quincy !" 

"  Sometimes.  When  I  have  been  quite  alone  for  two  or 
three  months,  I  have  fancied  that  an  apple,  or  a  potato,  or  even 
a  glass  of  the  cider  that  came  from  the  spot  where  I  was  born, 
would  be  sweeter  than  all  the  honey-bees  ever  gathered  in 
Michigan.' 


344  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

"  To  me  it  has  always  seemed  strange,  Bourdon,  that  one  of 
your  kind  feelings  should  ever  wish  to  live  alone,  at  all ;  yet  I 
have  heard  you  say  that  a  love  of  solitude  first  drew  you  to 
your  trade." 

"It  is  these  strong  cases  which  get  a  man  under,  as  it  might 
be,  and  almost  alter  his  nature.  One  man  will  pass  his  days  in 
hunting  deer ;  another  in  catching  fish :  my  taste  has  been  for 
the  bees,  and  for  such  chances  with  other  creatures  as  may 
offer.  What  between  hunting,  and  hiving,  and  getting  the 
honey  to  market,  I  have  very  little  time  to  long  for  company. 
But  my  taste  is  altering,  Margery  ;  has  altered." 

The  girl  blushed,  but  she  also  smiled,  and,  moreover,  she 
looked  pleased. 

"I  am  afraid  that  you  are  not  as  much  altered  as  you 
think,"  she  answered,  laughingly,  however.  "It  may  seem  so 
now  ;  but  when  you  come  to  live  in  the  settlements  again,  you 
will  get  tired  of  crowds." 

"Then  I  will  come  with  you,  Margery,  into  these  Openings, 
and  we  can  live  together  here,  surely,  as  well,  or  far  better  than 
I  can  live  here  alone.  You  and  Gershom's  wife  have  spoiled 
my  housekeeping.  I  really  did  not  know,  until  you  came  up 
here,  how  much  a  woman  can  do  in  a  chiente. 

"Why,  Bourdon,  you  have  lived  long  enough  in  the  settle- 
ments to  know  that  /" 

"  That  is  true ;  but  I  look  upon  the  settlements  as  one  thing, 
and  on  the  Openings  as  another.  What  will  do  there  isn't 
needed  here ;  and  what  will  do  here  won't  answer  there.  Bu* 
these  last  few  days  have  so  changed  Castle  Meal,  that  I  hardly 
know  it  myself." 

"  Perhaps  the  change  is  for  the  worse,  and  you  wish  it  un- 
done, Bourdon,"  observed  the  girl,  in  the  longing  she  had  to 
hear  an  assurance  to  the  contrary,  at  the  very  moment  she  felt 
certain  that  assurance  would  be  given. 

"No,  no,  Margery.  Woman  has  taken  possession  of  my 
cabin,  and  woman  shall  now  always  command  there,  unless  you 
alter  your  mind,  and  refuse  to  have  me.     I  shall  speak  to  the 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  345 

missionary  to  marry  us,  as  soon  as  I  can  get  him  alone.  His 
mind  is  running  so  much  on  the  Jews,  that  he  has  hardly  a 
moment  left  for  us  Christians." 

The  color  on  Margery's  cheek  was  not  lessened  by  this  decla- 
ration; though,  to  admit  the  truth,  she  looked  none  the  less 
pleased.  She  was  a  warm-hearted  and  generous  girl,  and  some- 
times hesitated  about  separating  herself  and  her  fortunes  from 
those  of  Gershom  and  Dorothy;  but  the  bee-hunter  had  per- 
suaded her  this  would  be  unnecessary,  though  she  did  accept 
him  for  a  husband.  The  point  had  been  settled  between  them 
on  previous  occasions,  and  much  conversation  had  already 
passed,  in  that  very  walk,  which  was  confined  to  that  interest- 
ing subject.  But  Margery  was  not  now  disposed  to  say  more, 
and  she  adroitly  improved  the  hint  thrown  out  by  Boden,  to 
change  the  discourse. 

"  It  is  the  strangest  notion  I  ever  heard  of,"  she  cried,  laugh- 
ing, "to  believe  Injins  to  be  Jews!" 

"  He  tells  me  he  is  by  no  means  the  first  who  has  fancied  it. 
Many  writers  have  said  as  much  before  him,  and  all  he  claims 
is,  to  have  been  among  them,  and  to  have  seen  these  Hebrews 
with  his  own  eyes.  But  here  he  comes,  and  can  answer  foi 
himself." 

Just  as  this  was  said,  Parson  Amen  joined  the  party,  Cor- 
poral Flint  closing  to  the  front,  as  delicacy  no  longer  required 
him  to  act  as  a  rear-guard.  The  good  missionary  came  up  a 
little  heated;  and,  in  order  that  he  might  have  time  to  cool 
himself,  the  rate  of  movement  was  slightly  reduced.  In  the 
mean  time  the  conversation  did  not  the  less  proceed. 

"We  were  talking  of  the  lost  tribes,"  said  Margery,  half 
smiling  as  she  spoke,  "  and  of  your  idea,  Mr.  Amen,  that  these 
Injins  are  Jews.  It  seems  strange  to  me  that  they  should  have 
lost  so  much  of  their  ancient  ways,  and  notions,  and  appear- 
ances, if  they  are  really  the  people  you  think." 

"Lost !  It  is  rather  wonderful  that,  after  the  lapse  of  two 
thousand  years  and  more,  so  much  should  remain.  Whichever 
way  I  look,  signs  of  these  people's  origin  beset  me.     You  have 


346  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

read  your  Bible,  Margery — which  I  am  sorry  to  say  all  on  this 
frontier  have  not — but  you  have  read  your  Bible,  and  one  can 
make  an  allusion  to  you  with  some  satisfaction.  Now,  let  me 
ask  you  if  you  remember  such  a  thing  as  the  scape-goat  of  the 
ancient  Jews.  It  is  to  be  found  in  Leviticus,  and  is  one  of 
those  mysterious  customs  with  which  that  extraordinary  book  is 
full." 

"  Leviticus  is  a  book  I  never  read  but  once,  for  we  do  not 
read  it  in  our  New  England  schools.  But  I  do  remember  that 
the  Jews  were  commanded  to  let  one  of  two  goats  go,  from 
which  practice  it  has,  I  believe,  been  called  a  scape-goat." 

"Well,"  said  le  Bourdon,  simply,  "  what  a  thing  is  'I'arnint- 
Now,  this  is  all  news  to  me,  though  I  have  heard  of  <  scape- 
goats,' and  talked  of  'scape-goats'  a  thousand  times!  There's 
a  meanin'  to  every  thing,  I  find;  and  I  do  not  look  upon  this 
idea  of  the  lost  tribes  as  half  as  strange  as  I  did  before  I  l'arnt 
this!" 

Margery  had  not  fallen  m  love  with  the  bee-hunter  for  his 
biblical  knowledge,  else  might  her  greater  information  have 
received  a  rude  shock  by  this  mark  of  simplicity ;  but  instead 
of  dwelling  on  this  proof  of  le  Bourdon's  want  of  "  schooling," 
her  active  mind  was  more  disposed  to  push  the  allusion  to 
scape-goats  to  some  useful  conclusion. 

"And  what  of  the  goat,  Mr.  Amen?"  she  asked  ;  "  and  how 
can  it  belong  to  any  thing  here  ?" 

"Why  were  all  those  goats  turned  into  the  woods  and  des- 
erts, in  the  olden  time,  Margery?  Doubtless  to  provide  food 
for  the  ten  tribes,  when  these  should  be  driven  forth  by  con- 
querors and  hard  task-masters.  Time,  and  climate,  and  a  dif- 
ference of  food,  has  altered  them,  as  they  have  changed  the 
Jews  themselves,  though  they  still  retain  the  cleft  hoof,  the 
horns,  the  habits,  and  the  general  characteristics  of  the  goats 
of  Arabia.  Yes  ;  naturalists  will  find  in  the  end,  that  the 
varieties  of  the  deer  of  this  continent,  particularly  the  antelope, 
are  nothing  but  the  scape-goats  of  the  ancient  world,  altered, 
and  perhaps  improved,  by  circumstances." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  347 

As  this  was  much  the  highest  flight  the  good  missionary  had 
ever  yet  taken,  not  trifling  was  the  astonishment  of  his  young 
friends  thereat.  Touching  the  Jews,  le  Bourdon  did  not  pre- 
tend to,  or  in  fact  did  not  possess  much  knowledge ;  but  when 
the  question  was  reduced  down  to  one  of  venison,  or  bears' 
meat,  or  bisons'  humps,  with  the  exception  of  the  professed 
hunters  and  trappers,  few  knew  more  about  them  all  than  he 
did  himself.  That  the  deer,  or  even  the  antelopes  of  America 
ever  had  been  goats,  he  did  not  believe ;  nor  was  he  at  all 
backward  in  letting  his  dissent  to  such  a  theory  be  known. 

"I'm  sorry,  Parson  Amen,  you've  brought  in  the  deer,"  he 
cried.  "Had  you  stuck  to  the  Jews,  I  might  have  believed 
all  that  you  fancy,  in  this  business  ;  but  the  deer  have  spoiled 
all.  As  for  scape-goats,  since  Margery  seems  to  agree  with 
you,  I  suppose  you  are  right  about  them,  though  my  notion  of 
such  creatures  has  been  to  keep  clear  of  them,  instead  of  fol- 
lowing them  up,  as  you  seem  to  think  ^hese  Hebrews  have 
done.  But  if  you  are  no  nearer  right  in  your  doctrine  about 
the  Injins  than  you  are  about  their  game,  you'll  have  to  change 
your  religion." 

"  Do  not  think  that  my  religion  depends  on  any  thread  so 
slight,  Bourdon.  A  man  may  be  mistaken  in  interpreting 
prophecy,  and  still  be  a  devout  Christian.  There  are  more 
reasons  than  you  may  at  first  suppose,  for  believing  in  this 
theory  of  the  gradual  change  of  the  goat  into  the  deer,  and 
especially  into  the  antelope.  We  do  not  any  of  us  believe  that 
Noah  had  with  him,  in  the  ark,  all  the  animals  that  are  now  to 
be  found,  but  merely  the  parent-stems,  in  each  particular  case, 
which  would  be  reducing  the  number  many  fold.  If  all  men 
came  from  Adam,  Btfurdon,  why  could  not  all  deer  come  from 
goats  ?" 

"Why,  this  matter  about  men  has  a  good  deal  puzzled  me, 
Parson,  and  I  hardly  know  what  answer  to  give.  Still,  men 
are  men,  wherever  you  find  them.  They  may  be  lighter  or 
darker,  taller  or  shorter,  with  hair  or  wool,  and  yet  you  can  see 
they  are  men.    Perhaps  food,  and  climate,  and  manner  of  living, 


348  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

may  have  made  all  the  changes  we  see  in  them ;  but  Lord,  Par- 
son, a  goat  has  a  beard  !" 

"  What  has  become  of  the  thousands  of  scape-goats  that  the 
ancient  Hebrews  must  have  turned  loose  in  the  wilderness  ? 
Answer  me  that,  Bourdon  ?" 

"You  might  as  well  ask  me,  sir,  what  has  become  of  the 
thousands  of  Hebrews  who  turned  them  loose.  I  suppose  all 
must  be  dead  a  thousand  years  ago.  Scape-goats  are  creatures 
that  even  Injins  would  not  like." 

"  All  this  is  a  great  mystery,  Bourdon — a  much  greater  mys- 
tery than  our  friend  Peter,  whom  you  have  so  often  said  was  a 
man  so  unaccountable.  By  the  way,  he  has  given  me  a  charge  * 
to  perform  an  office  between  you  and  Margery,  that  I  had  al- 
most forgotten.  From  what  he  said  to  me,  I  rather  think  it 
may  have  some  connection  with  our  safety.  We  have  enemies 
among  these  savages,  I  feel  very  certain ;  though  I  believe  we 
have  also  warm  friends." 

"  But  what  have  you  in  charge  that  has  any  thing  to  do  with 
Bourdon  and  me?"  asked  the  wondering  Margery;  who  was 
quick  to  observe  the  connection,  though  utterly  at  a  loss  to 
comprehend  it. 

The  missionary  now  called  a  halt,  and  finding  convenient 
scats,  he  gradually  opened  the  subject  with  which  he  had  been 
charged  by  Peter  to  his  companions.  The  reader  is  probably 
prepared  to  learn  that  there  was  no  longer  any  reserve  between 
le  Bourdon  and  Margery  on  the  subject  of  their  future  mar- 
riage. The  young  man  had  already  pressed  an  immediate 
union,  as  the  wisest  and  safest  course  to  be  pursued.  Although 
the  savage  American  is  little  addicted  to  abusing  his  power  over 
female  captives,  and  seldom  takes  into  his  lodge  an  unwilling 
squaw,  the  bee-hunter  had  experienced  a  good  deal  of  uneasi- 
ness on  the  score  of  what  might  befall  his  betrothed.  Margery 
was  sufficiently  beautiful  to  attract  attention,  even  in  a  town ; 
and  more  than  one  fierce-looking  warrior  had  betrayed  his  ad- 
miration that  very  day,  though  it  was  in  a  very  Indian-like 
fashion.     Rhapsody,  and  gallant  speeches,  and  sonnets,  form  no 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  349 

part  of  Indian  courtship  ;  but  the  language  of  admiration  is  sc 
very  universal,  through  the  eyes,  that  it  is  sufficiently  easy  of 
comprehension.  It  was  possible  that  some  chief,  whose  band 
was  too  formidable  to  be  opposed,  might  take  it  into  his  head 
to  wish  to  see  a  pale-face  squaw  in  his  wigwam  ;  and,  while  it 
was  not  usual  to  do  much  violence  to  a  female's  inclinations  on 
such  occasions,  it  was  not  common  to  offer  much  opposition  to 
those  of  a  powerful  warrior.  The  married  tie,  if  it  could  be 
said  to  exist  at  all,  however,  was  much  respected ;  and  it  was 
far  less  likely  that  Margery,  a  wife,  would  thus  be  appropriated, 
than  Margery,  unmarried.  It  is  true,  cases  of  unscrupulous 
exercise  of  power  are  to  be  found  among  Indians,  as  well  as 
among  civilized  men,  but  they  are  rare,  and  usually  are  much 
condemned. 

The  bee-hunter,  consequently,  was  well  disposed  to  second 
Peter's  project.  As  for  Margery  herself,  she  had  half  yielded 
all  her  objections  to  her  lover' s%  unaided  arguments,  and  was 
partly  conquered  before  this  reinforcement  was  brought  into  the 
field  against  her.  Peter's  motive  was  much  canvassed,  no  one 
of  them  all  being  able  to  penetrate  it.  Boden,  however,  had 
his  private  opinion  on  the  subject,  nor  was  it  so  very  much  out 
of  the  way.  He  fancied  that  the  mysterious  chief  was  well 
disposed  to  Margery,  and  wished  to  put  her  as  far  as  possible 
beyond  the  chances  of  an  Indian  wigwam :  marriage  being  the 
step  of  all  others  most  likely  to  afford  her  this  protection. 
Now  this  was  not  exactly  true,  but  it  was  right  enough  in  the 
main.  Peter's  aim  was  to  save  the  life  of  the  girl ;  her  gentle 
attractions,  and  kind  attentions  to  himself  having  wrought  this 
much  in  her  favor ;  and  he  believed  no  means  of  doing  so  as 
certain  as  forming  a  close  connection  for  her  with  the  great 
medicine  bee-hunter.  Judging  of  them  by  himself,  he  did  not 
think  the  Indians  would  dare  to  include  so  great  a  conjurer  in 
their  schemes  of  vengeance,  and  was  willing  himself  that  le 
Bourdon  should  escape,  provided  Margery  could  go  free  and 
unharmed  with  him.  As  for  the  bee-hunter's  powers,  he  had 
many  misgivings  ;  they  might  be  dangerous  to  the  red  men, 


350  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

and  they  might  not.  On  this  subject,  he  was  in  the  painful 
doubts  of  ignorance,  and  had  the  wide  area  of  conjecture 
open  before  his  mind.  He  saw:  but  it  was  "as  in  a  glass, 
darkly. " 

Margery  was  disposed  to  delay  the  ceremony,  at  least  until 
her  brother  and  sister  might  be  present.  But  to  this  le  Bour- 
don himself  was  not  much  inclined.  It  had  struck  him  that 
Gershom  was  opposed  to  an  early  marriage,  most  probably 
because  he  fancied  himself  more  secure  of  the  bee-hunter's 
ingenious  and  important  aid  in  getting  back  to  the  settlements, 
so  long  as  this  strong  inducement  existed  to  cling  to  himself, 
than  if  he  should  release  his  own  hold  of  Margery,  by  giving 
her  at  once  to  her  lover.  Eight  or  wrong,  such  was  the  im- 
pression taken  up  by  le  Bourdon,  and  he  was  glad  when  the 
missionary  urged  his  request  to  be  permitted  to  pronounce  the 
nuptial  benediction  on  the  spot. 

Little  ceremony  is  generally  used  in  an  American  marriage. 
In  a  vast  many  cases  no  clergyman  is  employed  at  all ;  and 
where  there  is,  most  of  the  sects  have  no  ring,  no  giving  away, 
nor  any  of  those  observances  which  were  practised  in  the 
churches  of  old.  There  existed  no  impediment,  therefore ;  and 
after  a  decent  interval  spent  in  persuasions,  Margery  consented 
to  plight  her  vows  to  the  man  of  her  heart  before  they  left  the 
spot.  She  would  fain  have  had  Dorothy  present,  for  woman 
loves  to  lean  on  her  own  sex  on  such  occasions,  but  submitted 
to  the  necessity  of  proceeding  at  once,  as  the  bee-hunter  and 
the  missionary  chose  to  term  it. 

A  better  altar  could  not  have  been  selected  in  all  that  vast 
region.  It  was  one  of  nature's  own  erecting ;  and  le  Bourdon 
and  his  pretty  bride  placed  themselves  before  it,  with  feelings 
suited  to  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion.  The  good  missionary 
stood  within  the  shade  of  a  burr  oak,  in  the  centre  of  those 
park-like  Openings,  every  object  looking  fresh,  and  smiling, 
and  beautiful.  The  sward  was  green,  and  short  as  that  of  a 
well-tended  lawn ;  the  flowers  were,  like  the  bride  herself,  soft, 
modest,   and   sweet;    while    charming    rural   vistas    stretched 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 


351 


through  the  trees,  much  as  if  art  had  been  summoned  in  aid  of 
the  great  mistress  who  had  designed  the  landscape.  When  the 
parties  knelt  in  prayer — which  all  present  did,  not  excepting  the 
worthy  corporal — it  was  on  the  verdant  ground,  with  first  the 
branches  of  the  trees,  and  then  the  deep,  fathomless  vault  of 
heaven  for  a  canopy.  In  this  manner  was  the  marriage  bene- 
diction pronounced  on  the  bee-hunter  and  Margery  Waring,  in 
the  venerable  Oak  Openings.  No  gothic  structure,  with  its 
fretted  aisles  and  clustered  columns,  could  have  been  one  half 
as  appropriate  for  the  union  of  such  a  couple. 


352  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


"  No  shrift  the  gloomy  savage  brooks, 
As  scowling  on  the  priest  he  looks ; 
Cowesass — coioesass—tawliicli  wessasseen  f 
Let  my  father  look  on  Bornazeen — 
My  father's  heart  is  the  heart  of  a  squaw, 
But  mine  is  so  hard  that  it  does  not  thaw." 

Wiiittiek. 


Leaving  the  newly-married  couple  to  pursue  their  way  home- 
ward, it  is  now  our  province  to  return  to  Prairie  Round.  One 
accustomed  to  such  scenes  would  easily  have  detected  the  signs 
of  divided  opinions  and  of  agitating  doubts  among  the  chiefs, 
though  nothing  like  contention  or  dispute  had  yet  manifested 
itself.  Peter's  control  was  still  in  the  ascendant,  and  he  had 
neglected  none  of  his  usual  means  of  securing  influence.  Per- 
haps he  labored  so  much  the  harder,  from  the  circumstance 
that  he  now  found  himself  so  situated,  as  to  be  compelled  to 
undo  much  that  he  had  previously  done. 

On  the  other  hand,  Ungque  appeared  to  have  no  particular 
cause  of  concern.  His  manner  was  as  much  unoccupied  as 
usual ;  and  to  his  habit  of  referring  all  his  influence  to  sudden 
and  powerful  bursts  of  eloquence,  if  design  of  any  sort  was  en- 
tertained, he  left  his  success. 

"We  pass  over  the  details  of  assembling  the  council.  The 
spot  was  not  exactly  on  the  prairie,  but  in  a  bit  of  lovely 
"  Opening"  on  its  margin,  where  the  eye  could  roam  over  a 
wide  extent  of  that  peculiar  natural  meadow,  while  the  body 
enjoyed  the  shades  of  the  wood.  The  chiefs  alone  were  in  the 
circle,  while  the  "braves"  and  the  " young  men"  generally 
formed  a  group  on  the  outside;  near  enough  to  hear  what 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  353 

passed,  and  to  profit  by  it,  if  so  disposed.  The  pipe  was  smoked, 
and  all  the  ordinary  customs  observed,  when  Bear's  Meat  arose, 
the  first  speaker  on  that  momentous  occasion. 

"  Brothers,"  he  said,  "this  is  the  great  council  on  Prairie 
Round  to  which  we  have  been  called.  We  have  met  before, 
but  not  here.  This  is  our  first  meeting  here.  We  have  trav- 
elled a  long  path  to  get  here.  Some  of  our  brethren  have 
travelled  farther.  They  are  at  Detroit.  They  went  there  to 
meet  our  great  Canada  father,  and  to  take  Yankee  scalps. 
How  many  scalps  they  have  taken  I  do  not  know,  or  I  would 
tell  you.  It  is  pleasant  to  me  to  count  Yankee  scalps.  I 
would  rather  count  them,  than  count  the  scalps  of  red  men. 
There  are  still  a  great  many  left.  The  Yankees  are  many,  and 
each  Yankee  has  a  scalp.  There  should  not  be  so  many. 
When  the  buffaloes  came  in  the  largest  droves,  our  fathers  used 
to  go  out  to  hunt  them  in  the  strongest  parties.  .  Their  sons 
should  do  the  same.  We  are  the  sons  of  those  fathers.  They 
say  we  look  like  them,  talk  like  them,  live  like  them — we  should 
act  like  them.     Let  another  speak,  for  I  have  done." 

After  this  brief  address,  which  bore  some  resemblance  to  a 
chairman's  calling  a  meeting  of  civilized  men  to  order,  there 
was  more  smoking.  It  was  fully  expected  that  Peter  would 
next  arise,  but  he  did  not.  Perceiving  this,  and  willing  to 
allow  time  to  that  great  chief  to  arrange  his  thoughts,  Crows- 
feather  assumed  the  office  of  filling  the  gap.  He  was  far  more 
of  a  warrior  than  of  an  orator,  and  was  listened  to  respectfully, 
but  less  for  what  he  said,  than  for  what  he  had  done.  A  good 
deal  of  Indian  boasting,  quite  naturally,  was  blended  with  his 
discourse. 

"My  brother  has  told  you  of  the  Yankee  scalps,"  he  com- 
menced. "He  says  they  are  many.  He  says  there  ought  to 
be  fewer.  He  did  not  remember  who  sat  so  near  him.  Per- 
haps he  does  not  know  that  there  are  three  less  now  than  there 
were  a  moon  since.  Crowsfeather  took  three  at  Chicago.  Many 
scalps  were  taken  there.  The  Yankees  must  be  plentier  than 
the  buffaloes  on  the  great  prairies,  if  they  can  lose  so  many 


354  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

scalps  oft cd,  and  send  forth  their  warriors.  I  am  a  Pottawat- 
tamie. My  brothers  know  that  tribe.  It  is  not  a  tribe  of  Jews, 
but  a  tribe  of  Injins.  It  is  a  great  tribe.  It  never  was  lost. 
It  cannot  be  lost.  No  tribe  better  knows  all  the  paths,  and  all 
the  best  routes  to  every  point  where  it  wishes  to  go.  It  is 
foolish  to  say  you  can  lose  a  Pottawattamie.  A  duck  would  be 
as  likely  to  lose  itself  as  a  Pottawattamie.  I  do  not  speak  for 
the  Ottawas :  I  speak  for  the  Pottawattamies.  We  are  not 
Jews.  We  do  not  wish  to  be  Jews  ;  and  what  we  do  not  wish 
to  be,  we  will  not  be.  Our  father  who  has  come  so  far  to  tell 
us  that  we  are  not  Injins,  but  Jews,  is  mistaken.  I  never  heard 
of  these  Jews  before.  I  do  not  wish  to  hear  of  them  again. 
When  a  man  has  heard  enough,  he  does  not  keep  his  ears  open 
willingly.  It  is  then  best  for  the  speaker  to  sit  down.  The 
Pottawattamies  have  shut  their  ears  to  the  great  medicine-priest 
of  the  pale-faces.  What  he  says  may  be  true  of  other  tribes, 
but  it  is  not  true  of  the  Pottawattamies.  We  are  not  lost ;  we 
are  not  Jews.     I  have  done." 

This  speech  was  received  with  general  favor.  The  notion 
that  the  Indians  were  not  Indians,  but  Jews,  was  far  from 
being  agreeable  to  those  who  had  heard  what  had  been  said  on 
the  subject ;  and  the  opinions  of  Crowsfeather  possessed  the 
great  advantage  of  reflecting  the  common  sentiment  on  this 
interesting  subject.  When  this  is  the  case,  a  very  little  elo- 
quence or  logic  goes  a  great  way ;  and,  on  the  whole,  the  ad- 
dress of  the  last  speaker  was  somewhat  better  received  than  that 
of  the  first. 

It  was  now  confidently  believed  that  Peter  would  rise.  But 
he  did  not.  That  mysterious  chief  was  not  yet  prepared  to 
speak,  or  he  was  judiciously  exciting  expectation  by  keeping 
back.  There  were  at  least  ten  minutes  of  silent  smoking,  ere  a 
chief,  whose  name  rendered  into  English  was  Bough  of  the  Oak, 
arose,  evidently  with  a  desire  to  help  the  time  along.  Taking 
his  cue  from  the  success  of  Crowsfeather,  he  followed  up  the 
advantage  obtained  by  that  chief,  assailing  the  theory  of  the 
missionary  from  another  quarter. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  355 

"I  am  an  Injin,"  said  Bough  of  the  Oak;  "  my  father  was 
an  Injin,  and  my  mother  was  the  daughter  of  an  Injin.  All 
my  fathers  were  red  men,  and  all  their  sons.  "Why  should  I 
wish  to  be  any  thing  else  ?  I  asked  my  brother,  the  medicine- 
priest,  and  he  owned  that  Jews  are  pale-faces.  This  he  should 
not  have  owned  if  he  wished  the  Injins  to  be  Jews.  My  skin 
is  red.  The  Manitou  of  my  fathers  so  painted  it,  and  their 
child  will  not  try  to  wash  out  the  color.  "Were  the  color 
washed  out  of  my  face,  I  should  be  a  pale-face  !  There  would 
not  be  paint  enough  to  hide  my  shame.  No  ;  I  was  born  red, 
and  will  die  a  red  man.  It  is  not  good  to  have  two  faces.  An 
Injin  is  not  a  snake,  to  cast  his  skin.  The  skm  in  which  he 
was  born  he  keeps.  He  plays  in  it  when  a  child ;  he  goes  in  it 
to  his  first  hunt ;  the  bears  and  the  deer  know  him  by  it ;  he 
carries  it  with  him  on  the  war-path,  and  his  enemies  tremble  at 
the  sight  of  it ;  his  squaw  knows  him  by  that  skin  when  he 
comes  back  to  his  wigwam  ;  and  when  he  dies,  he  is  put  aside 
in  the  same  skin  in  which  he  was  born.  There  is  but  one  skin, 
and  it  has  but  one  color.  At  first,  it  is  little.  The  pappoose 
that  wears  it  is  little.  There  is  no  need  of  a  large  skin.  But 
it  grows  with  the  pappoose,  and  the  biggest  warrior  finds  his 
skin  around  him.  This  is  because  the  Great  Spirit  fitted  it  to 
him.     Whatever  the  Manitou  does  is  good. 

"  My  brothers  have  squaws — they  have  pappooses.  When 
the  pappoose  is  put  into  their  arms,  do  they  get  the  paint- 
stones,  and  paint  it  red?  They  do  not.  It  is  not  necessary. 
The  Manitou  painted  it  red  before  it  was  born.  How  this  was 
done  I  do  not  know.  I  am  nothing  but  a  poor  Injin,  and  only 
know  what  I  see.  I  have  seen  that  the  pappooses  are  red 
when  they  are  born,  and  that  the  warriors  are  red  when  they 
die.  They  are  also  red  while  living.  It  is  enough.  Their 
fathers  could  never  have  been  pale-faces,  or  we  should  find  some 
white  spots  on  their  children.     There  are  none. 

"  Crowsfeather  has  spoken  of  the  Jews  as  lost.  I  am  not  sur- 
prised to  hear  it.  It  seems  to  me  that  all  pale-faces  get  lost. 
They  wander  from   their  own  hunting-grounds  into  those  of 


356  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

other  people.  It  is  not  so  with  Injins.  The  Pottawattamie 
does  not  kill  the  deer  of  the  Iowa,  nor  the  Ottawa  the  deer  of 
the  Menomenees.  Each  tribe  knows  its  own  game.  This  is 
because  they  are  not  lost.  My  pale-face  father  appears  to  wish 
us  well.  He  has  CQme  on  a  long  and  weary  path  to  tell  us 
about  his  Manitou.  For  this  I  thank  him.  I  thank  all  who 
wish  to  do  me  good.  Them  that  wish  to  do  me  harm  I  strike 
from  behind.  It  is  our  Injin  custom.  I  do  not  wish  to  hurt  the 
medicine-priest,  because  I  think  he  wishes  to  do  me  good,  and 
not  to  do  me  harm.  He  has  a  strange  law.  It  is  to  do  good 
to  them  that  do  harm  to  you.  It  is  not  the  law  of  the  red  men. 
It  is  not  a  goed  law.  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  tribes  which 
follow  such  a  law  get  lost.  They  cannot  tell  their  friends  from 
their  enemies.  They  can  have  no  people  to  scalp.  What  is  a 
warrior  if  he  cannot  find  some  one  to  scalp  ?  No ;  such  a 
law  would  make  women  of  the  bravest  braves  in  the  openings, 
or  on  the  prairie.  It  may  be  a  good  law  for  Jews,  who  get 
lost ;  but  it  is  a  bad  law  for  Injins,  who  know  the  paths  they 
travel.     Let  another  speak." 

This  brief  profession  of  faith,  on  the  subject  that  had  been 
so  recently  broached  in  the  council,  seemed  to  give  infinite 
satisfaction.  All  present  evidently  preferred  being  red  men, 
who  knew  where  they  were,  than  to  be  pale-faces  who  had  lost 
their  road.  Ignorance  of  his  path  is  a  species  of  disgrace  to  an 
American  savage,  and  not  a  man  there  would  have  confessed 
that  his  particular  division  of  the  great  human  family  was  in 
that  dilemma.  The  idea  that  the  Yankees  were  "lost,"  and 
had  got  materially  astray,  was  very  grateful  to  most  who  heard 
it ;  and  Bough  of  the  Oak  gained  a  considerable  reputation  as 
an  orator,  in  consequence  of  the  lucky  hits  made  on  this  oc- 
casion. 

Another  long,  ruminating  pause,  and  much  passing  of  the 
pipe  of  peace  succeeded.  It  was  near  half  an  hour  after  the  last 
speaker  had  resumed  his  seat,  ere  Peter  stood  erect.  In  that 
long  interval  expectation  had  time  to  increase,  and  curiosity  to 
augment  itself.     Nothing  but  a  very  great  event  could  cause 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  351 

this  pondering,  this  deliberation,  and  this  unwillingness  to 
begin.  When,  however,  the  time  did  come  for  the  mysterious 
chief  to  speak,  the  man  of  many  scalps  to  open  his  mouth,  pro- 
found was  the  attention  that  prevailed  among  all  present.  Even 
after  he  had  arisen,  the  orator  stood  silently  looking  around 
him,  as  if  the  throes  of  his  thoughts  had  to  be  a  little  sup- 
pressed before  he  could  trust  his  tongue  to  give  them  utterance. 

"  What  is  the  earth?"  commenced  Peter,  in  a  deep,  guttural 
tone  of  voice,  which  the  death-like  stillness  rendered  audible 
even  to  the  outermost  boundaries  of  the  circle  of  admiring  and 
curious  countenances.  "It  is  one  plain  adjoining  another; 
river  after  river ;  lake  after  lake  ;  prairie  touching  prairie ;  and 
pleasant  woods,  that  seem  to  have  no  limits,  all  given  to  men 
to  dwell  in.  It  would  seem  that  the  Great  Spirit  parcelled  out 
this  rich  possession  into  hunting-grounds  for  all.  He  colored 
men  differently.  His  dearest  children  he  painted  red,  which  is 
his  own  color.  Them  that  he  loved  less  he  colored  less, 
and  they  have  red  only  in  spots.  Them  he  loved  least  he 
dipped  in  a  dark  dye,  and  left  them  black.  These  are  the 
colors  of  men.  If  there  are  more,  I  have  not  seen  them.  Some 
say  there  are.     I  shall  think  so,  too,  when  I  see  them. 

"Brothers,  this  talk  about  lost  tribes  is  a  foolish  talk.  We 
are  not  lost.  We  know  where  we  are,  and  we  know  where  the 
Yankees  have  come  to  seek  us.  My  brother  has  well  spoken. 
If  any  are  lost,  it  is  the  Yankees.  The  Yankees  are  Jews ;  they 
are  lost.  The  time  is  near  when  they  will  be  found,  and  when 
they  will  again  turn  their  eyes  tow7ard  the  rising  sun.  They 
have  looked  so  long  toward  the  setting  sun,  that  they  cannot 
see  clearly.  It  is  not  good  to  look  too  long  at  the  same  object. 
The  Yankees  have  looked  at  our  hunting-grounds,  until  their 
eyes  are  dim.  They  see  the  hunting-grounds,  but  they  do  not 
see  all  the  warriors  that  are  in  them.  In  time,  they  will  learn 
to  count  them. 

"Brothers,  when  the  Great  Spirit  made  man,  he  put  him  to 
live  on  the  earth.  Our  traditions  do  not  agree  in  saying  of 
what  he  was  made.     Some  say  it  was  of  clay,  and  that  when 


358  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

his  spirit  starts  for  the  happy  hunting-grounds,  his  body  be- 
comes clay  again.  I  do  not  say  that  this  is  so,  for  I  do  no* 
know.  It  is  not  good  to  say  that  which  we  do  not  know  to  be 
true.  I  wish  to  speak  only  the  truth.  This  we  do  know.  If  a 
warrior  die,  and  we  put  him  in  the  earth,  and  come  to  look  for 
him  many  years  afterward,  nothing  but  bones  are  found.  All 
else  is  gone.  I  have  heard  old  men  say  that,  in  time,  even  these 
bones  are  not  to  be  found.  It  is  so  with  trees ;  it  may  be  so 
with  men.  But  it  is  not  so  with  hunting-grounds.  They  were 
made  to  last  forever. 

"  Brothers,  you  know  why  we  have  come  together  on  this 
prairie.  It  was  to  count  the  pale-faces,  and  to  think  of  the 
way  of  making  their  number  less.  Now  is  a  good  time  for 
such  a  thing.  They  have  dug  up  the  hatchet  against  each 
other;  and  when  we  hear  of  scalps  taken  among  them,  it  is 
good  for  the  red  men.  I  do  not  think  our  Canada  father  is 
more  our  friend  than  the  great  Yankee,  Uncle  Sam.  It  is 
true,  he  gives  us  more  powder,  and  blankets,  and  tomahawks, 
and  rifles  than  the  Yankee,  but  it  is  to  get  us  to  fight  his  bat- 
tles. We  will  fight  his  battles.  They  are  our  battles,  too.  For 
this  reason  we  will  fight  his  enemies. 

"  Brothers,  it  is  time  to  think  of  our  children.  A  wise  chief 
once  told  me  how  many  winters  it  is  since  a  pale-face  was  first 
seen  among  red  men.  It  was  not  a  great  while  ago.  Injins 
are  living  who  have  seen  Injins,  whose  own  fathers  saw  them 
first  pale-faces.  They  were  few.  They  were  like  little  chil- 
dren, then ;  but  now  they  are  grown  to  be  men.  Medicine- 
men are  plenty  among  them,  and  tell  them  how  to  raise 
children.  The  Injins  do  not  understand  this.  Small-pox,  fire- 
water, bad  hunting,  and  frosts,  keep  us  poor,  and  keep  our 
children  from  growing  as  fast  as  the  children  of  the  pale-faces. 

"  Brothers,  all  this  has  happened  within  the  lives  of  three 
ao-ed  chiefs.  One  told  to  another,  and  he  told  it  to  a  third. 
Three  chiefs  have  kept  that  tradition.  They  have  given  it  to 
me.  I  have  cut  notches  on  this  stick  (holding  up  a  piece  of 
ash,  neatly  trimmed,  as  a  record)  for  the  winters  they  told  me, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS,  359 

and  every  winter  since  I  have  cut  one  more.  See  ;  there  arc 
not  many  notches.  Some  of  our  people  say  that  the  pale-faces 
are  already  plentier  than  leaves  on  the  trees.  I  do  not  believe 
this.  These  notches  tell  us  differently.  It  is  true  the  pale- 
faces grow  fast,  and  have  many  children,  and  small-pox  does 
not  kill  many  of  them,  and  their  wars  are  few ;  but  look  at  this 
stick.  Could  a  canoe-full  of  men  become  as  many  as  they  say, 
in  so  few  winters  ?  No ;  it  is  not  so.  The  stories  we  have 
heard  are  not  true.  A  crooked  tongue  first  told  them.  We 
are  strong  enough  still  to  drive  these  strangers  into  the  great 
salt  lake,  and  get  back  all  our  hunting-grounds.  This  is  what 
I  wish  to  have  done. 

"  Brothers,  I  have  taken  many  scalps.  This  stick  will  tell 
the  number."  Here  one  of  those  terrible  gleams  of  ferocity  to 
which  we  have  before  alluded,  passed  athwart  the  dark  coun- 
tenance of  the  speaker,  causing  all  present  to  feel  a  deeper 
sympathy  in  the  thoughts  he  would  express.  "  There  are  many. 
Every  one  has  come  from  the  head  of  a  pale-face.  It  is  now 
twenty  winters  since  I  took  the  scalp  of  a  red  man.  I  shall 
never  take  another.  We  want  all  of  our  own  warriors,  to  drive 
back  the  strangers. 

"  Brothers,  some  Injins  tell  us  of  different  tribes.  They  talk 
about  distant  tribes  as  strangers.  I  tell  you  we  are  all  children 
of  the  same  father.  All  our  skins  are  red.  I  see  no  difference 
between  an  Ojebway,  and  a  Sac,  or  a  Sioux.  I  love  even  a 
Cherokee. "  Here  very  decided  signs  of  dissatisfaction  were 
manifested  by  several  of  the  listeners ;  parties  of  the  tribes  of 
the  great  lakes  having  actually  marched  as  far  as  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  make  war  on  the  Indians  of  that  region,  who  were 
generally  hated  by  them  with  the  most  intense  hatred.  "  He 
has  the  blood  of  our  fathers  in  him.  We  are  brothers,  and 
should  live  together  as  brothers.  If  we  want  scalps,  the  pale- 
faces have  plenty.  It  is  sweet  to  take  the  scalp  of  a  pale-face. 
I  know  it.  My  hand  has  done  it  often,  and  will  do  it  again. 
If  every  Injin  had  taken  as  many  scalps  as  I  have  taken,  few  of 
these  strangers  would  now  remain.- 


360  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"  Brothers,  one  thing  more  I  have  to  say.  I  wish  to  hear 
others,  and  will  not  tell  all  I  know  this  time.  One  thing  more 
I  have  to  say,  and  I  now  say  it.  I  have  told  you  that  we  must 
take  the  scalps  of  all  the  pale-faces  who  are  now  near  us.  I 
thought  there  would  have  been  more,  but  the  rest  do  not  come. 
Perhaps  they  are  frightened.  There  are  only  six.  Six  scalps 
are  not  many.  I  am  sorry  they  are  so  few.  But  we  can  go 
where  there  will  be  more.  One  of  these  six  is  a  medicine-man. 
I  do  not  know  what  to  think.  It  may  be  good  to  take  his 
scalp.  It  may  be  bad.  Medicine-men  have  great  power.  You 
have  seen  what  this  bee -hunter  can  do.  He  knows  how  to 
talk  with  bees.  Them  little  insects  can  fly  into  small  places, 
and  see  things  that  Injins  cannot  see.  The  Great  Spirit  made 
them  so.  When  we  get  back  all  the  land,  we  shall  get  the 
bees  with  it,  and  may  then  hold  a  council  to  say  what  it  is  best 
to  do  with  them.  Until  we  know  more,  I  do  not  wish  to  touch 
the  scalp  of  that  bee-hunter.  It  may  do  us  great  harm.  I 
knew  a  medicine-man  of  the  pale-faces  to  lose  his  scalp,  and 
small-pox  took  off  half  the  band  that  made  him  prisoner  and 
killed  him.  It  is  not  good  to  meddle  with  medicine-men.  A 
few  days  ago,  and  I  wanted  this  young  man's  scalp,  very  much. 
Now,  I  do  not  want  it.  It  may  do  us  harm  to  touch  it.  I 
wish  to  let  him  go,  and  to  take  his  squaw  with  him.  The  rest 
we  can  scalp." 

Peter  cunningly  made  no  allusion  to  Margery,  until  just  be- 
fore he  resumed  his  seat,  though  now  deeply  interested  in  her 
safety.  As  for  le  Bourdon,  so  profound  was  the  impression 
he  had  made  that  morning,  that  few  of  the  chiefs  were  surprised 
at  the  exemption  proposed  in  his  favor.  The  superstitious 
dread  of  witchcraft  is  very  general  among  the  American  savages ; 
and  it  certainly  did  seem  to  be  hazardous  to  plot  the  death  of  a 
man,  who  had  even  the  bees  that  were  humming  on  all  sides  of 
them  under  his  control.  He  might  at  that  very  moment  be 
acquainted  with  all  that  was  passing;  and  several  of  the  grirn- 
looking  and  veteran  warriors  who  sat  in  the  circle,  and  who  ap- 
peared to  be  men  able  and  willing  to  encounter  aught  human, 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  301 

did  not  fail  to  remember  the  probability  of  a  medicine-man's 
knowing  who  were  his  friends,  and  who  his  enemies. 

When  Peter  sat  down,  there  was  but  one  man  in  the  circle 
of  chiefs  who  was  resolved  to  oppose  his  design  of  placing 
Boden  and  Margery  without  the  pale  of  the  condemned.  Sev- 
eral were  undecided,  scarce  knowing  what  to  think  of  so  sudden 
and  strange  a  proposition,  but  could  not  be  said  to  have  abso- 
lutely adhered  to  the  original  scheme  of  cutting  off  all.  The 
exception  was  Ungque.  This  man — a  chief  by  a  sort  of  suffer- 
ance, rather  than  as  a  right — was  deadly  hostile  to  Peter's 
influence,  as  has  been  said,  and  was  inclined  to  oppose  all  his 
plans,  though  compelled  by  policy  to  be  exceedingly  cautious 
how  he  did  it.  Here,  however,  was  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  strike  a  blow,  and  he  was  determined  not  to  neglect  it.  Still, 
so  wily  was  this  Indian,  so  much  accustomed  to  put  a  restraint 
on  his  passions  and  wishes,  that  he  did  not  immediately  arise, 
with  the  impetuous  ardor  of  frank  impulses,  to  make  his  reply, 
but  awaited  his  time. 

An  Indian  is  but  a  man,  after  all,  and  is  liable  to  his  weak- 
nesses, notwithstanding  the  self-command  he  obtains  by  severe 
drilling.  Bough  of  the  Oak  was  to  supply  a  proof  of  this  truth. 
He  had  been  so  unexpectedly  successful  in  his  late  attempt  at 
eloquence,  that  it  was  not  easy  to  keep  him  off  his  feet,  now 
that  another  good  occasion  to  exhibit  his  powers  offered  He 
was  accordingly  the  next  to  speak. 

"My  brothers,"  said  Bough  of  the  Oak,  "lam  named  after 
a  tree.  You  all  know  that  tree.  It  is  not  good  for  bows  or 
arrows ;  it  is  not  good  for  canoes ;  it  does  not  make  the  best 
fire,  though  it  will  burn,  and  is  hot  when  well  lighted.  There 
are  many  things  for  which  the  tree  after  which  I  am  named  is 
not  good.  It  is  not  good  to  eat.  It  has  no  sap  that  Injins 
can  drink,  like  the  maple.  It  does  not  make  good  brooms. 
But  it  has  branches  like  other  trees,  and  they  are  tough.  Tough 
branches  are  good.  The  boughs  of  the  oak  will  not  bend,  like 
the  boughs  of  the  willow,  or  the  boughs  of  the  ash,  or  the 
boughs  of  the  hickory. 
16 


362  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"  Brothers,  I  am  a  bough  of  the  oak.  I  do  not  like  to 
bend.  When  my  mind  is  made  up,  I  wish  to  keep  it  where  it 
was  first  put.  My  mind  has  been  made  up  to  take  the  scalps 
of  all  the  pale-faces  who  are  now  in  the  openings.  I  do  not 
want  to  change  it.  My  mind  can  break,  but  it  cannot  bend.  It 
is  tough." 

Having  uttered  this  brief  but  sententious  account  of  his  view 
of  the  matter  at  issue,  the  chief  resumed  his  seat,  reasonably 
well  satisfied  with  this,  his  second  attempt  to  be  eloquent  that 
day.  His  success  this  time  was  not  as  unequivocal  as  on  the 
former  occasion,  but  it  was  respectable.  Several  of  the  chiefs 
saw  a  reasonable,  if  not  a  very  logical  analogy,  between  a  man's 
name  and  his  mind  ;  and  to  them  it  appeared  a  tolerably  fair 
inference  that  a  man  should  act  up  to  his  name.  If  his  name 
was  tough,  he  ought  to  be  tough,  too.  In  this  it  does  not 
strike  us  that  they  argued  very  differently  from. civilized  beings, 
who  are  only  too  apt  to  do  that  which  their  better  judgments 
really  condemn,  because  they  think  they  are  acting  ' '  in  char- 
acter," as  it  is  termed.  •  t 

Ungque  was  both  surprised  and  delighted  with  this  unex- 
pected support  from  Bough  of  the  Oak.  He  knew  enough  of 
human  nature  to  understand  that  a  new-born  ambition,  that  of 
talking  against  the  great,  n^sterious  chief,  Peter,  was  at  the 
bottom  of  this  unexpected  opposition ;  but  with  this  he  was 
pleased,  rather  than  otherwise.  An  opposition  that  is  founded 
in  reason,  may  always  be  reasoned  down,  if  reasons  exist  there- 
for ;  but  an  opposition  that  has  its  rise  in  any  of  the  passions, 
is  usually  somewhat  stubborn.  All  this  the  mean-looking  chief, 
or  The  Weasel,  understood  perfectly,  and  appreciated  highly. 
He  thought  the  moment  favorable,  and  was  disposed  to  "  strike 
while  the  iron  was  hot."  Eising  after  a  decent  interval  had 
elapsed,  this  wily.  Indian  looked  about  him,  as  if  awed  by  the 
presence  in  which  he  stood,  and  doubtful  whether  he  could 
venture  to  utter  his  thoughts  before  so  many  wise  chiefs.  Hav- 
ing made  an  impression  by  this  air  of  diffidence,  he  commenced 
his  harangue.  j 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS,  363 

"I  am  called  The  Weasel,"  he  said,  modestly.  "My  name 
is  not  taken  from  the  mightiest  tree  of  the  forest,  like  that  of 
my  brother ;  it  is  taken  from  a  sort  of  rat — an  animal  that 
lives  by  its  wits.  I  am  well  named.  When  my  tribe  gave  me 
that  name,  it  was  just.  All  Injins  have  not  names.  My  great 
brother,  who  told  us  once  that  we  ought  to  take  the  scalp  of 
every  white  man,  but  who  now  tells  us  that  we  ought  not  to 
take  the  scalp  of  every  white  man,  has  no  name.  He  is  called 
Peter,  by  the  pale-faces.  It  is  a  good  name.  But  it  is  a  pale- 
face name.  ,  I  wish  we  knew  the  real  name  of  my  brother.  We 
do  not  know  his  nation  or  his  tribe.  Some  say  he  is  an  Otta- 
wa, some  an  Iowa,  some  even  think  him  a  Sioux.  I  have 
heard  he  was  a  Delaware,  from  toward  the  rising  sun.  Some, 
but  they  must  be  Injins  with  forked  tongues,  think  and  say  he 
is  a  Cherokee  !  I  do  not  believe  this.  It  is  a  lie.  It  is  said 
to  do  my  brother  harm.  Wicked  Injins  will  say  such  things. 
But  we  do  not  mind  what  they  say.     It  is  not  necessary. 

"My  brothers,  I  wish  we  knew  the  tribe  of  this  great  chief, 
who  tells  us  to  take  scalps,  and  then  tells  us  not  to  take  scalps. 
Then  we  might  understand  why  he  has  told  us  two  stories. 
I  believe  all  he  says,  but  I.  should  like  to  know  why  I  believe 
it.  It  is  good  to  know  why  we  believe  things.  I  have  heard 
what  my  brother  has  said  about  letting  this  bee-hunter  go  to 
his  own  people,  but  I  do  not  know  why  he  believes  this  is  best. 
It  is  because  I  am  a  poor  Injin,  perhaps ;  and  because  I  am 
called  The  Weasel.  I  am  an  animal  that  creeps  through  small 
holes.  That  is  my  nature.  The  bison  jumps  through  open 
prairies,  and  a  horse  is  wanted  to  catch  him.  It  is  not  so  with 
the  weasel ;  he  creeps  through  small  holes.  But  he  always 
looks  where  he  goes. 

"The  unknown  chief,  who  belongs  to  no  tribe,  talks  of  this 
bee-hunter's  squaw.  He  is  afraid  of  so  great  a  medicine-man, 
and  wishes  him  to  go,  and  take  all  in  his  wigwam  with  him. 
He  has  no  squaw.  There  is  a  young  squaw  in  his  lodge,  but 
she  is  not  his  squaw.  ;  There  is  no  need  of  letting  her  go,  on 
his  account.     If  we  take  her  scalp,  he  cannot  hurt  us.     In  that, 


304  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

my  brother  is  wrong.  The  bees  have  buzzed  top  near  his  ears. 
Weasels  can  hear,  as  well  as  other  animals ;  and  I  have  heard 
that  this  young  squaw  is  not  this  bee-hunter's  squaw. 

"  If  Injins  are  to  take  the  scalps  of  all  the  pale-faces,  why 
should  we  not  begin  with  these  who  are  in  our  hands.  When 
the  knife  is  ready,  and  the  head  is  ready,  nothing  but  the  hand 
is  wanting.  Plenty  of  hands  are  ready,  too ;  and  it  does  not 
seem  good  to  the  eyes  of  a  poor,  miserable  weasel,  who  has  to 
creep  through  very  small  holes  to  catch  his  game,  to  let  that 
game  go  when  it  is  taken.  If  my  great  brother,  who  has  told 
us  not  to  scalp  this  bee-hunter  and  her  he  calls  his  squaw,  will 
tell  us  the  name  of  his  tribe,  I  shall  be  glad.  I  am  an  ignorant 
Injin,  and  like  to  learn  all  I  can  ;  I  wish  to  learn  that.  Perhaps 
it  will  help  us  to  understand  why  he  gave  one  counsel  yesterday, 
and  another  to-day.  There  is  a  reason  for  it.  I  wish  to  know 
what  it  is." 

Ungque  now  slowly  seated  himself.  He  had  spoken  with 
great  moderation,  as  to  manner ;  and  with  such  an  air  of  humil- 
ity as  one  of  our  own  demagogues  is  apt  to  assume,  when  he 
tells  the  people  of  their  virtues,  and  seems  to  lament  the  whole 
time  that  he,  himself,  was  one  of  the  meanest  of  the  great 
human  family.  Peter  saw,  at  once,  that  he  had  a  cunning 
competitor,  and  had  a  little  difficulty  in  suppressing  all  exhib- 
ition of  the  fiery  indignation  he  actually  felt,  at  meeting  oppo- 
sition in  such  a  quarter.  Peter  was  artful,  and  practised  in  all 
the  wiles  of  managing  men,  but  he  submitted  to  use  his  means 
to  attain  a  great  end.  The  virtual  extinction  of  the  white  race 
was  his  object,  and  in  order  to  effect  it,  there  was  little  he 
would  have  hesitated  to  do.  Now,  however,  when  for  the  first 
time  in  many  years  a  glimmering  of  human  feeling  was  shining 
on  the  darkness  of  his  mind,  he  found  himself  unexpectedly 
opposed  by  one  of  those  whom  he  had  formerly  found  so  diffi- 
cult to  persuade  into  his  own  dire  plans  !  Had  that  one  been 
a  chief  of  any  renown,  the  circumstances  would  have  been 
more  tolerable;  but  here  was  a  man  presuming  to  raise  his 
voice  against  him,  who,  so  far  as  he  knew  any  thing  of  his  past 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  365 

career,  liad  not  a  single  claim  to  open  his  mouth  in  such  a 
council.  With  a  volcano  raging  within,  that  such  a  state 
of  things  would  be  likely  to  kindle  in  the  breast  of  a  savage  who 
had  been  for  years  a  successful  and  nearly  unopposed  leader, 
the  mysterious  chief  rose  to  reply. 

"My  brother  says  he  is  a  weasel,"  observed  Peter,  looking 
round  at  the  circle  of  interested  and  grave  countenances  by 
which  he  was  surrounded.  "  That  is  a  very  small  animal.  It 
creeps  through  very  small  holes,  but  not  to  do  good.  It  is 
good  for  nothing.  When  it  goes  through  a  small  hole,  it  is 
not  to  do  the  Injins  a  service,  but  for  its  own  purposes.  I  do 
not  like  weasels. 

"  My  brother  is  not  afraid  of  a  bee-hunter.  Can  he  tell  us 
what  a  bee  whispers  ?  If  he  can,  I  wish  he  would  tell  us.  Let 
him  show  our  young  men  where  there  is  more  honey — where 
they  can  find  bear's  meat  for  another  feast— ^where  they  can 
find  warriors  hid  in  the  woods. 

"  My  brother  says  the  bee-hunter  has  no  squaw.  How  does 
he  know  this  ?  Has  he  lived  in  the  lodge  with  them — paddled 
in  the  same  canoe — eat  of  the  same  venison  ?  A  weasel  is  very 
small.  It  might  steal  into  the  bee-hunter's  lodge,  and  see  what 
is  there,  what  is  doing,  what  is  eaten,  who  is  his  squaw,  and 
who  is  not — has  this  weasel  ever  done  so  ?  I  never  saw  him 
there. 

"  Brothers,  the  Great  Spirit  has  his  own  way  of  doing  things. 
He  does  not  stop  to  listen  to  weasels.  He  knows  there  are 
such  animals — there  are  snakes,  and  toads,  and  skunks.  The 
Great  Spirit  knows  them  all,  but  he  does  not  mind  them.  He 
is  wise,  and  hearkens  only  to  his  own  mind.  So  should  it  be 
with  a  council  of  great  chiefs.  It  should  listen  to  its  own  mind. 
That  is  wisdom.     To  listen  to  the  mind  of  a  weasel  is  folly. 

"Brothers,  you  have  been  told  that  this  weasel  does  not 
know  the  tribe  of  which  I  am  born.  Why  should  you  know 
it?  Injins  once  were  foolish.  While  the  pale-faces  were 
getting  one  hunting-ground  after  another  from  them,  they  dug 
up   the  hatchet  against  their  own  friends.     They  took  each 


366  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

other's  scalps.  Injin  liatecl  Injin — tribe  hated  tribe.  I  am  of 
no  tribe,  and  no  one  can  hate  me  for  my  people.  Yon  see  my 
skin.  It  is  red.  That  is  enough.  I  scalp,  and  smoke,  and 
talk,  and  go  on  weary  paths  for  all  Injins,  and  not  for  any  tribe, 
I  am  without  a  tribe.  Some  call  me  the  Tribeless.  It  is 
better  to  bear  that  name,  than  to  be  called  a  weasel.  I  have 
done." 

Peter  had  so  much  success  by  this  argumentum  ad  hominem, 
that  most  present  fancied  that  the  weasel  would  creep  through 
some  hole,  and  disappear.  Not  so,  however,  with  Ungque. 
He  was  a  demagogue,  after  an  Indian  fashion  ;  and  this  is  a  class 
of  men  that  ever  "make  capital"  of  abuses,  as  we  Ameri- 
cans say,  in  our  money-getting  habits.  Instead  of  being 
frightened  off  the  ground,  he  arose  to  answer  as  promptly  as  if 
a  practised  debater,  though  with  an  air  of  humility  so  pro- 
found, that  no  one  could  take  offence  at  his  presumption. 

"The  unknown  chief  has  answered,"  he  said,  "I  am  glad. 
I  love  to  hear  his  words.  My  ears  are  always  open  when  he 
speaks,  and  my  mind  is  stronger.  I  now  see  that  it  is  good  he 
should  not  have  a  tribe.  He  may  be  a  Cherokee,  and  then  our 
warriors  would  wish  him  ill."  This  was  a  home-thrust,  most 
artfully  concealed ;  a  Cherokee  being  the  Indian  of  all  others 
the  most  hated  by  the  chiefs  present; — the  Carthaginians  of 
those  western  Romans.  "It  is  better  he  should  not  have  a 
tribe,  than  be  a  Cherokee.     He  might  better  be  a  weasel. 

"Brothers,  we  have  been  told  to  kill  all  the  pale-faces.  I 
like  that  advice.  The  land  cannot  have  two  owners.  If  a  pale- 
face owns  it,  an  Injin  cannot.  If  an  Injin  owns  it,  a  pale-face 
cannot.  But  the  chief  without  a  tribe  tells  us  not  to  kill  all. 
He  tells  us  to  kill  all  but  the  bee-hunter  and  his  squaw.  He 
thinks  this  bee- hunter  is  a  medicine  bee- hunter,  and  may  do 
us  Injins  great  harm.     He  wishes  to  let  him  go. 

"Brothers,  this  is  not  my  way  of  thinking.  It  is  better  to 
kill  the  bee-hunter  and  his  squaw  while  we  can,  that  there  may 
be  no  more  such  medicine  bee-hunters  to  frighten  us  Injins.  If 
one  bee-hunter  can  do  so  much  harm,  what  would  a  tribe  of 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  367 

bee-  hunters  do  ?  I  do  not  want  to  see  any  more.  It  is  a  dan* 
gerous  tiling  to  know  how  to  talk  with  bees.  It  is  best  that 
no  one  should  have  that  power.  I  would  rather  never  tasto 
honey  again,  than  live  among  pale-faces  that  can  talk  with  bees. 

"  Brothers,  it  is  not  enough  that  the  pale-faces  know  so  much 
more  than  the  red  men,  but  they  must  get  the  bees  to  tell  them 
where  to  find  honey,  to  find  bears,  to  find  warriors.  No ;  let 
us  take  the  scalp  of  the  bee-talker,  and  of  his  squaw,  that  there 
may  never  be  such  a  medicine  again.     I  have  spoken." 

Peter  did  not  rise  again.  He  felt  that  his  dignity  was  in- 
volved in  maintaining  silence.  Various  chiefs  now  uttered  their 
opinions,  in  brief,  sententious  language.  For  the  first  time 
since  he  began  to  preach  his  crusade,  the  current  was  setting 
against  the  mysterious  chief.  The  Weasel  said  no  more,  but 
the  hints  he  had  thrown  out  were  improved  on  by  others.  It 
is  with  savages  as  with  civilized  men  ;  a  torrent  must  find  vent. 
Peter  had  the  sagacity  to  see  that  by  attempting  further  to 
save  le  Bourdon  and  Margery,  he  should  only  endanger  his 
own  ascendancy,  without  effecting  his  purpose.  Here  he  com- 
pletely overlaid  the  art  of  Ungque,  turning  his  own  defeat  into 
an  advantage.  After  the  matter  had  been  discussed  for  fully  an 
hour,  and  this  mysterious  chief  perceived  that  it  was  useless  to 
adhere  to  his  new  resolution,  he  gave  it  up  with  as  much  tact 
as  the  sagacious  Wellington  himself  could  manifest  in  yielding 
Catholic  emancipation,  or  parliamentary  reform;  or,  just  in 
season  to  preserve  an  appearance  of  floating  in  the  current,  and 
with  a  grace  that  disarmed  his  opponents. 

" Brothers,"  said  Peter,  by  way  of  closing  the  debate,  "I 
have  not  seen  straight.  Fog  sometimes  gets  before  the  eyes, 
and  we  cannot  see.  I  have  been  in  a  fog.  The  breath  of  my 
brother  has  blown  it  away.  I  now  see  clearly.  I  see  that  bee- 
hunters  ought  not  to  live.  Let  this  one  die — let  his  squaw  die, 
too!" 

This  terminated  the  discussion,  as  a  matter  of  course.  It 
was  solemnly  decided  that  all  the  pale-faces  then  in  the  Open- 
ings should  be  cut  off.     In  acquiescing  in  this  decision,  Peter 


368  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

had  no  mental  reservations.  He  was  quite  sincere.  When, 
after  sitting  two  hours  longer,  in  order  to  arrange  still  more 
important  points,  the  council  arose,  it  was  with  his  entire  as- 
sent to  the  decision.  The  only  power  he  retained  over  the 
subject,  was  that  of  directing  the  details  of  the  contemplated 
massacre. 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  309 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

**  Why  is  that  graceful  female  here 
With  yon  red  hunter  of  the  deer? 
Of  gentle  mein  and  shape,  she  seems 

For  civil  halls  design'd ; 
Tet  with  the  stately  savage  walks, 

As  she  were  of  his  kind." 

PlNKNEY. 

The  family  at  Castle  Meal  saw  nothing  of  any  Indian  until 
the  day  that  succeeded  the  council.  Gershom  and  Dorothy 
received  the  tidings  of  their  sister's  marriage  with  very  little 
emotion.  It  was  an  event  they  expected ;  and  as  for  bride-cake 
and  ceremonies,  of  one  there  was  none  at  all,  and  of  the  oth£r 
no  more  than  has  been  mentioned.  The  relatives  of  Margery 
did  not  break  their  hearts  on  account  of  the  neglect  with  which 
they  had  been  treated,  but  received  the  young  couple  as  if  one 
had  given  her  away,  and  the  other  "had  pulled  off  her  glove," 
as  young  ladies  now  express  it,  in  deference  to  the  act  that  gene- 
rally gives  the  coup  de  grace  to  youthful  female  friendships.  On 
the  Openings,  neither  time  nor  breath  is  wasted  in  useless  com- 
pliments ;  and  all  was  held  to  be  well  done  on  this  occasion, 
because  it  was  done  legally.  A  question  might  have  been  raised, 
indeed,  whether  that  marriage  had  taken  place  under  the  Ameri- 
can, or  under  the  English  flag ;  for  General  Hull,  in  surrender- 
ing Detroit,  had  included  the  entire  territory  of  Michigan,  as 
well  as  troops  present,  troops  absent,  and  troops  on  the  march 
to  join  him.  Had  he  been  in  possession  of  Peter's  ruthless 
secret,  which  we  happen  to  know  he  was  not,  he  could  not  have 
been  more  anxious  to  throw  the  mantle  of  British  authority 
around  all  of  his  race  on  that  remote  frontier,  than  he  proved 
himself  to  be.     Still,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  marriage 


370  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

would  have  been  regarded  as  legal ;  conquered  territories  usu- 
ally preserving  their  laws  and  usages  for  a  time,  at  least.  A 
little  joking  passed,  as  a  matter  of  course  ;  for  this  is  de  rigueur 
in  all  marriages,  except  in  the  cases  of  the  most  cultivated ;  and 
certainly  neither  the  corporal  nor  Gershom  belonged  to  the  elite 
of  human  society. 

About  the  hour  of  breakfast  Pigeonswing  came  in,  as  if  re- 
turning from  one  of  his  ordinary  hunts.  He  brought  with  him 
venison,  as  well  as  several  wild  ducks  that  he  had  killed  in  the 
Kalamazoo,  and  three  or  four  prairie  hens.  The  Chippewa 
never  betrayed  exultation  at  the  success  of  his  exertions,  but  on 
this  occasion  he  actually  appeared  sad.  Dorothy  received  his 
game,  and  as  she  took  the  ducks  and  other  fowls,  she  spoke  to 
him. 

"Thank  you,  Pigeonswing,"  said  the  young  matron.  "No 
pale-face  could  be  a  better  provider,  and  many  are  not  one-half 
as  good." 

•"What  provider  mean,  eh?"  demanded  the   literal-minded 
savage.     "Mean  good;  mean  bad,  eh?" 

"  Oh  !  it  means  good,  of  course.  I  could  say  nothing  against 
a  hunter  who  takes  so  good  care  of  us  all." 

"  What  he  mean,  den?" 

"  It  means  a  man  who  keeps  his  wife  and  children  well  sup- 
plied with  food." 

"You  get  'nough,  eh?" 

"I  get  enough,  Pigeonswing,  thanks  to  your  industry,  such 
as  it  is.  Injin  diet,  however,  is  not  always  the  best  for  Christian 
folk,  though  a  body  may  live  on  it.  I  miss  many  things,  out 
here  in  the  Openings,  to  which  I  have  been  used  all  the  early 
part  of  my  life." 

"  What  squaw  miss,  eh  ?    P'raps  Injin  find  him  sometime." 

"  I  thank  you,  Pigeonswing,  with  all  my  heart,  and  am  just 
as  grateful  for  your  good  intentions,  as  I  should  be  was  you  to 
do  all  you  wish.  It  is  the  mind  that  makes  the  marcy,  and  not 
always  the  deed.  But  you  can  never  find  the  food  of  a  pale- 
face kitchen  out  here  in  the  openings  of  Michigan.     When  a 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  371 

body  comes  to  reckon  up  all  the  good  things  of  Ameriky,  she 
don't  know  where  to  begin,  or  where  to  stop.  I  miss  tea  as 
much  as  any  thing.  And  milk  comes  next.  Then  there's 
buckwheat  and  coffee — though  things  may  be  found  in  the 
woods  to  make  coffee  of,  but  tea  has  no  substitute.  Then,  I 
like  wheaten  bread,  and  butter,  and  potatoes,  and  many  other 
such  articles,  that  I  was  used  to  all  my  life,  until  I  came  out 
here,  close  to  sunset.  As  for  pies  and  custards,  I  can't  bear  to 
think  of 'em  now!" 

Pigeonswing  looked  intently  at  the  woman,  as  she  carefully 
enumerated  her  favorites  among  the  dishes  of  her  home-kitchen. 
When  she  had  ended,  he  raised  a  finger,  looked  still  more  sig- 
nificantly at  her,  and  said  : 

"  Why  don't  go  back,  get  all  dem  good  t'ings  ?  Better  for 
pale-face  to  eat  pale-face  food,  and  leave  Injin  Injin  food." 

"  For  my  part,  Pigeonswing,  I  wish  such  had  ever  been  the 
law.  Venison,  and  prairie-fowls,  and  wild  ducks,  and  trout,  and 
bear's  meat,  and  wild  pigeons,  and  the  fish  that  are  to  be  found 
in  these  western  rivers,  are  all  good  for  them  that  was  brought  up 
on  'em,  but  they  tire  an  eastern  palate  dreadfully.  Give  me 
roast  beef  any  day  before  buffalo's  hump,  and  a  good  barn-yard 
fowl  before  all  the  game-birds  that  ever  flew." 

i '  Yes ;  dat  de  way  pale-face  squaw  feel.  Bess  go  back,  and 
get  what  she  like.     Bess  go  quick  as  she  can — go  to-day." 

"  I'm  in  no  such  hurry,  Pigeonswing,  and  I  like  these  Open- 
ings well  enough  to  stay  a  while  longer,  and  see  what  all  these 
Injins/  that  they  tell  me  are  about  'em,  mean  to  do.  Now  we 
are  fairly  among  your  people,  and  on  good  terms  with  them, 
it  is  wisest  to  stay  where  we  are.  These  are  war-times,  and 
travelling  is  dangerous,  they  tell  me.  When  Gershom  and 
Bourdon  are  ready  to  start,  I  shall  be  ready  too." 

u  Bess  get  ready,  now,"  rejoined  Pigeonswing;  who,  having 
given  this  advice  with  point,  as  to  manner,  proceeded  to  the 
spring,  where  he  knelt  and  slaked  his  thirst.  The  manner  of 
the  Chippewa  was  such  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  mis- 
sionary, who,  full  of  his  theory,  imagined  that  this  desire  to  get 


372  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

rid  of  the  whites  was,  in  some  way  or  other,  connected  with 
a  reluctance  in  the  Indians  to  confess  themselves  Jews.  He 
had  been  quite  as  much  surprised  as  he  was  disappointed,  with 
the  backwardness  of  the  chiefs  in  accepting  this  tradition,  and 
was  now  in  a  state  of  mind  that  predisposed  him  to  impute 
every  thing  to  this  one  cause. 

"I  hope,  Pigeonswing,"  he  said  to  the  Chippewa,  whom  he 
had  followed  to  the  spring — "I  hope,  Pigeonswing,  that  no 
offence  has  been  taken  by  the  chiefs  on  account  of  what  I  told 
them  yesterday,  concerning  their  being  Jews.  It  is  what  I 
think,  and  it  is  an  honor  to  belong  to  God's  chosen  people,  and 
in  no  sense  a  disgrace.  I  hope  no  offence  has  been  taken  on 
account  of  my  telling  the  chiefs  they  are  Jews." 

"  Don't  care  any  t'ing  'bout  it,"  answered  the  literal  Indian, 
rising  from  his  kneeling  position,  and  wiping  his  mouth  with 
the  back  of  his  hand.  "  Don't  care  wedder  Jew,  or  wedder 
Indian." 

"For  my  own  part,  gladly  would  I  have  it  to  say  that  I  am 
descended  from  Israel." 

"Why  don't  say  him,  if  he  make  you  grad?  Good  to  be 
grad.     All  Injin  love  to  be  grad." 

"Because  I  cannot  say  it  with  truth.  No;  I  come  of  the 
Gentiles,  and  not  of  the  Hebrews,  else  would  I  glory  in  saying 
I  am  a  Jew,  in  the  sense  of  extraction,  though  not  now  in  the 
sense  of  faith.  I  trust  the  chiefs  will  not  take  offence  at  my 
telling  them  just  what  I  think." 

"Tell  you  he  don't  care,"  returned  Pigeonswing,  a  little 
crustily.  "  Don't  care  if  Jew — don't  care  if  Injin.  Know  dat 
make  no  difference.  Hunting-ground  just  same — game  just 
same — scalps  just  same.     Make  no  difference,  and  don't  care." 

"  I  am  glad  of  this — but  why  did  you  advise  Dorothy  to  quit 
the  Openings  in  the  hasty  manner  you  did,  if  all  is  right  with 
the  chiefs  ?  It  is  not  good  to  start  on  a  journey  without  pre- 
paration and  prayer.  Why,  then,  did  you  give  this  advice  to 
Dorothy  to  quit  the  Openings  so  soon  ?" 

"Bess  for  squaw  to  go  home,  when  Injin  dig  up  hatchet. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  373 

Openin'  full  of  warrior — prairie  full  of  warrior — wood  full  of 
warrior.     When  dat  so,  bess  for  squaw  to  go  home." 

"  This  would  be  true,  were  the  Indians  our  enemies.  Heav 
en  be  praised,  they  are  our  friends,  and  will  not  harm  us. 
Peter  is  a  great  chief,  and  can  make  his  young  men  do  what 
he  tells  them ;  and  Peter  is  our  friend.  With  Peter  to  stand 
by  us,  and  a  merciful  Providence  to  direct  us  where,  when, 
and  how  to  go,  we  can  have  nothing  to  fear.  I  trust  in  Divine 
Providence." 

"Who  he  be?"  asked  Pigeonswing,  innocently,  for  his 
knowledge  of  English  did  not  extend  far  enough  to  compre- 
hend a  phrase  so  complicated,  though  so  familiar  to  ourselves. 
"  He  know  all  paths,  eh  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  and  directs  us  on  all  paths — more  especially  such  as 
are  for  our  good." 

"  Bess  get  him  to  tell  you  path  in  to  Detroit.  Dat  good 
path,  now,  for  all  pale-faces." 

On  uttering  this  advice,  which  he  did  also  somewhat  point- 
edly, the  Chippewa  left  the  spring,  and  walked  toward  the 
kennel  of  Hive,  where  the  bee-hunter  was  busy  feeding  his  old 
companion. 

"You're  welcome  back,  Pigeonswing,"  the  last  cordially 
remarked,  without  pausing  in  his  occupation,  however.  "I 
saw  that  you  came  in  loaded,  as  usual.  Have  you  left  any 
dead  game  in  the  Openings,  for  me  to  go  and  back  in  with 
you  ?" 

"You  open  ear,  Bou/don — you  know  what  Injin  say,"  re- 
turned the  Chippewa,  earnestly.  "  When  dog  get  'nough 
come  wid  me.  Got  something  to  tell.  Bess  hear  it,  when  he 
can  hear  it." 

"You'll  find  me  ready  enough  in  a  minute.  There,  Hive, 
my  good  fellow,  that  ought  to  satisfy  any  reasonable  dog,  and 
I've  never  found  you  unreasonable  yet.  Well,  Chippewa,  hero 
I  am,  with  my  ears  wide  open — stop,  I've  a  bit  of  news,  first, 
for  your  ears.  Do  you  know,  Pigeonswing,  my  good  fellow 
that  I  am  married !" 


374  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"  Marry,  eli  ?     Got  squaw,  eh  ?     Where  you  get  hiin  ?" 

"Here,  to  be  sure — where  else  should  I  get  her?  There  is 
but  one  girl  in  these  Openings  that  I  would  ask  to  be  my  wife, 
and  she  has  been  asked,  and  answered,  yes.  Parson  Amen 
married  us,  yesterday,  on  our  way  in  from  Prairie  Round  ;  so 
that  puts  me  on  a  footing  with  yourself.  "When  you  boast  of 
your  squaw  that  you've  left  in  your  wigwam,  I  can  boast  of 
mine  that  I  have  here.     Margery  is  a  girl  to  boast  of,  too  !" 

"  Yes ;  good  squaw,  dat.  Like  dat  squaw  pretty  well. 
Nebber  see  better.  Bess  keep  squaw  alway  in  his  own  wig- 
wam." 

"Well,  mine  is  in  my  own  wigwam.  Castle  Meal  is  my 
property,  and  she  does  it  honor." 

"Dat  an't  what  Injin  mean.  Mean  dis.  Bess  have  wigwam 
at  home,  dere,  where  pale-face  lives,  and  bess  keep  squaw  in 
dat  wigwam.  Where  my  squaw,  eh  ?  She  home,  in  my  wig- 
wam— take  care  of  pappoose,  hoe  corn,  and  keep  ground  good. 
So  bess  wid  white  squaw — bess  home,  at  work." 

"  I  believe  I  understand  what  you  mean,  Pigeon.  Well, 
home  we  mean  to  go,  before  the  winter  sets  in,  and  when  mat- 
ters have  a  little  settled  down  between  the  English  and  Yankees. 
It  isn't  safe  travelling,  just  now,  in  Michigan — you  must  own 
that,  yourself,  my  good  fellow." 

The  Indian  appeared  at  a  loss,  now,  how  to  express  himself 
further.  On  one  side  was  his  faith  to  his  color,  and  his  dread 
of  Peter  and  the  great  chiefs  ;  on  the  other,  his  strong  regard 
for  the  bee-hunter.  He  pondered  a  moment,  and  then  took  his 
own  manner  of  communicating  that  which  he  wished  to  say. 
The  fact  that  his  friend  was  married  made  no  great  difference 
in  his  advice,  for  the  Indian  was  much  too  shrewd  an  observer 
not  to  have  detected  the  bee-hunter's  attachment.  He  had  not 
supposed  it  possible  to  separate' his  friend  from  the  family  of 
Gershom,  though  he  did  suppose  there  would  be  less  difficulty 
in  getting  him  to  go  on  a  path  different  from  that  which  the 
missionary  and  corporal  might  take.  His  own  great  purpose 
was  to  serve  le  Bourdon,  and  Iioav  many  or  how  few  might  in- 


THE     OAK      OPENINGS.  875 

ciclentally  profit  by  it  lie  did  not  care.  The  truth  compels  us  to 
own,  that  even  Margery's  charms,  and  nature,  and  warm-hearted 
interest  in  all  around  her,  had  failed  to  make  any  impression  on 
his  marble-like  feelings  ;  while  the  bee-hunter's  habits,  skill  in 
his  craft,  and  close  connection  with  himself  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  more  especially  in  liberating  him  from  his  enemies, 
had  united  him  in  a  comrade's  friendship  with  her  husband.  It 
was  a  little  singular  that  this  Chippewa  did  not  fall  into  Peter's 
superstitious  dread  of  the  bee-hunter's  necromancy,  though  he 
was  aware  of  all  that  had  passed  the  previous  day  on  the 
prairie.  Either  on  account  of  his  greater  familiarity  with  le 
Bourdon's  habits,  or  because  he  was  in  the  secret  of  the  trick 
of  the  whiskey-spring,  or  from  a  closer  knowledge  of  white  men 
and  their  ways,  this  young  Indian  was  freer  from  apprehensions 
of  this  nature,  perhaps,  than  any  one  of  the  same  color  and 
origin  within  many  miles  of  the  spot.  In  a  word,  Pigeonswing 
regarded  the  bee-hunter  as  his  friend,  while  he  looked  upon  the 
other  pale-faces  as  so  many  persons  thrown  by  accident  in  his 
company.  Now  that  Margery  had  actually  become  his  friend's 
squaw,  his  interest  in  her  was  somewhat  increased  ;  though  she 
had  never  obtained  that  interest  in  his  feelings  that  she  had 
awakened  in  the  breast  of  Peter,  by  her  attentions  to  him,  her 
gentleness,  light-hearted  gaiety,  and  womanly  care,  and  all  with 
out  the  least  design  on  her  own  part. 

"No,"  answered  the  Chippewa,  after  a  moment's  reflection, 
"  no  very  safe  for  Yankee,  or  Yankee  Injin.  Don't  t'ink  my 
scalp  very  safe,  if  chief  laaow'd  I'm  Yankee  runner.  Bess  alway 
to  keep  scalp  safe.  Dem  Pottawattamie  I  take  care  not  to  see. 
Know  all  about  'em,  too.  Know  what  he  say — know  what  he 
do — b'lieve  I  know  what  he  fink." 

"I  did  not  see  you,  Pigeon,  among  the  red  young  men,  yes- 
terday, out  on  Prairie  Kound." 

"  Know  too  much  to  go  dere.  Crowsfeather  and  Pottawatta- 
mie out  dere.  Bess  not  go  near  dem  when  dey  have  eye  open, 
Take  'em  asleep.  Dat  bess  way  wid  sich  Injin.  Catch  'em 
some  time  !     But  your  ear  open,  Bourdon  ?" 


376  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"Wide  open,  my  good  friend — what  have  you  to  whisper 
in  it?" 

"  You  look  hard  at  Peter  when  he  come  in.  If  he  t'ink 
good  deal,  and  don't  say  much,  when  he  do  speak,  mind  what 
he  say.  If  he  smile,  and  very  much  friend,  must  hab  his 
scalp." 

"  Chippewa,  Peter  is  my  friend,  lives  in  my  cabin,  and  cats 
of  my  bread  !    "^The  hand  that  touches  him,  touches  me." 

"Which  bess,  eh — his  scalp,  or  your'n?  If  he  wry  much 
friend  when  he  come  in,  his  scalp  muss  come  off,  or  your'n. 
Yes,  juss  so.  Dat  de  way.  Know  Injin  better  dan  you  know 
him,  Bourdon.  You  good  bee-hunter,  but  poor  Injin.  Ebbery 
body  hab  his  way — Injin  got  his.  Peter  laugh  and  very  much 
friend,  when  he  come  home,  den  he  mean  to  hab  your  scalp. 
If  don't  smile,  and  don't  seem  very  much  friend,  but  look 
down,  and  t'ink,  t'ink,  t'ink,  den  he  no  mean  to  hurt  you,  but 
try  to  get  you  out  of  hand  of  chiefs.     Dat  all." 

As  Pigeonswing  concluded,  he  walked  coolly  away,  leaving 
his  friend  to  ruminate  on  the  alternative  of  scalp  or  no  scalp  ! 
The  bee-hunter  now  understood  the  Chippewa  perfectly.  He 
was  aware  that  this  man  had  means  of  his  own  to  ascertain 
what  was  passing  around  him  in  the  Openings,  and  he  had  the 
utmost  confidence  in  his  integrity  and  good  wishes.  If  a  red 
man  is  slow  to  forget  an  injury,  he  never  forgets  a  favor.  In 
this  he  was  as  unlike  as  possible  to  most  of  the  pale-faces  who 
were  supplanting  his  race,  for  these  last  had,  and  have,  as  ex- 
traordinary a  tenacity  in  losing  sight  of  benefits,  as  they  have 
in  remembering  wrongs. 

By  some  means  or  other,  it  was  now  clear  that  Pigeonswing 
foresaw  that  a  crisis  was  at  hand.  Had  le  Bourdon  been  as 
disconnected  and  solitary  as  he  was  when  he  first  met  the  Chip- 
pewa, it  is  not  probable  that  either  the  words  or  the  manner  of 
his  friend  would  have  produced  much  impression  on  him,  so 
little  accustomed  was  he  to  dwell  on  the  hazards  of  his  frontier 
position.  But  the  case  was  now  altogether  changed.  Margery 
and  her  claims  stood  foremost  in  his  mind ;  and  through  Margery 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  377 

came  Dolly  and  her  husband.  There  was  no  mistaking  Pigeons- 
wing's  intention.  It  was  to  give  warning  of  some  immediate 
danger,  and  a  danger  that,  in  some  way,  was  connected  with 
the  deportment  of  Peter.  It  was  easy  enough  to  comprehend 
the  allusions  to  the  mysterious  chief's  smiles  and  melancholy ; 
and  the  bee-hunter  understood  that  he  was  to  watch  that  In- 
dian's manner,  and  take  the  alarm  or  bestow  his  confidence 
accordingly. 

Le  Bourdon  was  not  left  long  in  doubt.  Peter  arrived  about 
half-an-hour  after  Pigeonswing  had  gone  to  seek  his  rest ;  and 
from  the  instant  he  came  in  sight,  our  hero  discerned  the 
thoughtful  eye  and  melancholy  manner.  These  signs  were  still 
more  obvious  when  the  tribeless  Indian  came  nearer ;  so  obvi- 
ous, indeed,  as  to  strike  more  than  one  of  those  who  were  inte- 
rested observers  of  all  that  this  extraordinary  being  said  and 
did.  Among  others,  Margery  was  the  first  to  see  this  change, 
and  the  first  to  let  it  influence  her  own  manner.  This  she  did, 
notwithstanding  le  Bourdon  had  said  nothing  to  her  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  in  defiance  of  the  bashful  feelings  of  a  bride ;  which, 
under  circumstances  less  marked,  might  have  induced  her  to 
keep  more  in  the  back-ground.  As  Peter  stopped  at  the  spring 
to  quench  his  thirst,  Margery  was,  in  truth,  the  first  to  approach 
and  to  speak  to  him. 

"You  seem  weary,  Peter,"  said  the  young  wife,  somewhat 
timidly  as  to  voice  and  air,  but  with  a  decided  and  honest  mani- 
festation of  interest  in  what  she  was  about.  Nor  had  Margery 
gone  empty-handed.  She  took  with  her  a  savory  dish,  one 
of  those  that  the  men  of  the  woods  love— meat  cooked  in  its 
own  juices,  and  garnished  with  several  little  additions,  that  her 
skill  in  the  arts  of  civilized  life  enabled  her  to  supply. 

"You  seem  tired,  Peter,  and  if  I  did  not  fear  to  say  it,  I 
should  tell  you  that  you  also  seem  sad,"  said  Margery,  as  she 
placed  her  dish  on  a  rude  table  that  was  kept  at  the  spot,  for 
the  convenience  of  those  who  seldom  respected  hours,  or  regu- 
larity of  any  sort  in  their  meals.  "  Here  is  food  that  you  like, 
which  I  have  cooked  with  my  own  hands." 


3/8  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

The  Indian  looked  intently  at  the  timid  and  charming  young 
creature,  who  came  forward  thus  to  contribute  to  his  comforts, 
and  the  saddened  expression  of  his  countenance  deepened.  He 
was  fatigued  and  hungry,  and  lie  ate  for  some  time  without 
speaking,  beyond  uttering  a  brief  expression  of  his  thanks. 
When  his  appetite  was  appeased,  however,  and  she  who  had  so 
sedulously  attended  to  his  wants  was  about  to  remove  there- 
mains  of  the  dish,  he  signed  with  his  finger  for  her  to  draw 
nearer,  intimating  that  he  had  something  to  say.  Margery 
obeyed  without  hesitation,  though  the  color  flitted  in  her  face 
/ike  the  changes  in  an  evening  sky.  But  so  much  good  will 
and  confidence  had  been  awakened  between  these  two,  that  a 
daughter  would  not  have  drawn  near  to  a  father  with  more  con- 
fidence than  Margery  stood  before  Peter. 

" Medicine-man  do  what  I  tell  him,  young  squaw,  eh?"  de- 
manded Peter,  smiling  slightly,  and  for  the  first  time  since  they 
had  met. 

"  By  medicine-man  do  you  mean  Mr.  Amen,  or  Bourdon  ?" 
the  bride  asked  in  her  turn,  her  whole  face  reflecting  the  confu- 
sion she  felt,  scarcely  knowing  why. 

"Botf.  One  medicine-man  say  his  prayer;  t'  odder  medi- 
cine-man take  young  squaw's  hand,  and  lead  her  into  his  wig- 
wam.    Dat  what  I  mean." 

"  I  am  married  to  Bourdon,"  returned  Margery,  dropping  her 
eyes  to  the  ground,  "  if  that  be  what  you  wish  to  know.  I  hope 
you  think  I  shall  have  a  good  husband,  Peter." 

"Hope  so,  too— nebber  know  till  time  come.  All  good  for 
little  while — Injin  good,  squaw  good.  Juss  like  weadder. 
Sometime  rain — sometime  storm — sometime  sunshine.  Juss 
so  wid  Injin,  juss  so  wid  pale-face.  No  difference.  All  same. 
You  see  dat  cloud  ?— he  little  now ;  but  let  wind  blow,  he  grow 
big,  and  you  sec  nuttin7  but  cloud.  Let  him  have  plenty  of 
sunshine,  and  he  go  away ;  den  all  clear  over  head.  Dat  bess 
way  to  live  wid  husband." 

"And  that  is  the  way  which  Bourdon  and  I  will  always  live 
together.     When  we  get  back  among  our  own  people,  Peter, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  379 

and  are  living  comfortably  in  a  pale-face  wigwam,  with,  pale-face 
food,  and  pale-face  drinks,  and  all  the  other  good  things  of  pale- 
face housekeeping  about  us,  then  I  hope  you  will  come  and  see 
how  happy  we  are,  and  pass  some  time  with  us.  Every  year  I 
wish  you  to  come  and  see  us,  and  to  bring  us  venison,  and  Bour- 
don will  give  you  powder,  and  lead,  and  blankets,  and  all  you 
may  want,  unless  it  be  fire-water.  Fire-water  he  has  promised 
never  again  to  give  to  an  Injin." 

"No  find  anymore  whiskey- spring,  eh?"  demanded  Peter, 
greatly  interested  in  the  young  woman's  natural  and  warm- 
hearted manner  of  proposing  her  hospitalities.  "So  bess — so 
bess.  Great  curse  for  Injin.  Plenty  honey,  no  fire-water.  All 
dat  good.     And  I  come,  if — " 

Here  Peter  stopped,  nor  could  all  Margery's  questions  induce 
him  to  complete  the  sentence.  His  gaze  at  the  earnest  coun- 
tenance of  the  bride  was  such  as  to  give  her  an  indefinite  sort 
of  uneasiness,  not  to  say  a  feeling  of  alarm.  Still  no  explana- 
tion passed  between  them.  Margery  remained  near  Peter  for 
some  time,  administering  to  his  wants,  and  otherwise  demean- 
ing herself  much  as  a  daughter  might  have  done.  At  length  le 
Bourdon  joined  them.  The  salutations  were  friendly,  and  the 
manner  in  which,  the  mysterious  chief  regarded  the  equally 
mysterious  bee-hunter,  was  not  altogether  without  a  certain 
degree  of  awe.  Boden  perceived  this,  and  was  not  slow  to  com- 
prehend that  he  owed  this  accession  of  influence  to  the  scene 
which  had  occurred  on  the  prairie. 

"Is  the  great  council  ended,  Peter ?"  asked  the  bee-hunter, 
when  the  little  interval  of  silence  had  been  observed. 

"Yes,  it  over.     No  more  council,  now,  on  Prairie  Round." 

a  And  the  chiefs— have  they  all  gone  on  their  proper  paths  ? 
What  has  become  of  my  old  acquaintance,  Crowsfeather  ?  and 
all  the  rest  of  them — Bear's  Meat,  in  particular?" 

"All  gone.  No  more  council  now.  Agree  what  to  do,  and 
so  go  away."     •  , 

"But  are  red  men  always  as  good  as  their  words?  do  they 
perforin  always  what  they  'promise  ?" 


380  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"Sartain.  Ebbery  man  ought  do  what  he  say.  Dat  Injin 
law — no  pale-face  law,  eh  ?'• 

"It  may  be  the  laiv,  Peter,  and  a  very  good  law  it  is;  but 
we  white  men  do  not  always  mind  our  own  laws." 

"Dat  bad — Great  Spirit  don't  like  dat,"  returned  Peter, 
looking  grave,  and  slowly  shaking  his  head.  "Dat  very  bad, 
When  Injin  say  he  do  it,  den  he  do  it,  if  he  can.  If  can't,  no 
help  for  it.  Send  squaw  away  now,  Bourdon — bess  not  to  let 
squaw  hear  what  men  say,  or  will  always  want  to  hear." 

Le  Bourdon  laughed,  as  he  turned  to  Margery  and  repeated 
these  words.  The  young  wife  colored,  but  she  took  it  in  good 
part,  and  ran  up  toward  the  palisaded  lodge,  like  one  who 
was  glad  to  be  rid  of  her  companions.  Peter  waited  a  few 
moments,  then  turning  his  head  slowly  in  all  directions,  to 
make  sure  of  not  being  overheard,  he  began  to  lay  open  his 
mind. 

"  You  been  on  Prairie  Round,  Bourdon — you  see  Injin 
dere — chief,  warrior,  young  men,  hunter,  all  dere." 

"  I  saw  them  all,  Peter,  and  a  goodly  sight  it  was — what  be- 
tween paint,  and  medals,  and  bows  and  arrows,  and  tomahawks, 
and  all  your  bravery  !" 

"You  like  to  see  him,  eh?  Yes;  he  fine  t'ing  to  look  at. 
"Well,  dat  council  call  togedder  by  me — you  know  dat,  too, 
Bourdon?" 

"  I  have  heard  you  say  that  such  was  your  intention,  and  I 
suppose  you  did  it,  chief.  They  tell  me  you  have  great  power 
among  your  own  people,  and  that  they  do  very  much  as  you 
tell  them  to  do." 

Peter  looked  graver  than  ever  at  this  remark ;  and  one  of 
his  startling  gleams  of  ferocity  passed  over  his  dark  counte- 
nance.    Then  he  answered  with  his  customary  self-command. 

"  Sometime  so,"  he  said;  "sometime  not  so.  Yesterday, 
not  so.  Dere  is  chief  dat  want  to  put  Peter  under  his  foot ! 
lie  try,  but  he  no  do  it !  I  know  Peter  well,  and  know  dat 
chief,  too." 

"  This  is  news  to  me,  Peter,  and  I  am  surprised  to  hear  it. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  381 

I  did  think  that  even  the  great  Tecumthe  was  scarcely  as  big  a 
chief  as  you  are  yourself." 

"  Yes,  pretty  big  chief;  dat  true.  But,  among  Injin,  ebbery 
man  can  speak,  and  nebber  know  which  way  council  go.  Some- 
time he  go  one  way ;  sometime  he  go  tudder.  You  hear  Bough 
of  Oak  speak,  eh  ?     Tell  me  dat  ?" 

"  You  will  remember  that  I  heard  none  of  your  speakers  on 
Prairie  Round,  Peter.  I  do  not  remember  any  such  orator  as 
this  Bough  of  Oak." 

"He  great  rascal,"  said  Peter,  who  had  picked  up  some  of 
the  garrison  expressions  among  those  from  whom  he  acquired 
the  knowledge  of  English  he  possessed,  such  as  it  was.  "  Lis- 
ten, Bourdon.     Nebber  bess  stand  too  much  in  Peter's  way." 

The  bee-hunter  laughed  freely  at  this  remark ;  for  his  own 
success  the  previous  day,  and  the  impression  he  had  evidently 
made  on  that  occasion,  emboldened  him  to  take  greater  liberties 
with  the  mysterious  chief  than  had  been  his  wont. 

"I  should  think  that,  Peter,"  cried  the  young  man,  gaily — 
"I  should  think  all  that.  For  one,  I  should  choose  to  get  out 
of  it.  The  path  you  travel  is  your  own,  and  all  wise  men  will 
leave  you  to  journey  along  it  in  your  own  fashion." 

"  Yes;  dat  bess  way,"  answered  the  great  chief,  with  admir- 
able simplicity.  "Don't  like,  when  he  says  yes,  to  hear  anud- 
der  chief  say  no.  Dat  an't  good  way  to  do  business."  These 
were  expressions  caught  from  the  trading  whites,  and  were  often 
used  by  those  who  got  their  English  from  them.  "I  tell  you 
one  t'ing,  Bourdon — dat  Bough  of  Oak  very  foolish  Injin  if  he 
put  foot  on  my  path." 

"This  is  plain  enough,  Peter,"  rejoined  le  Bourdon,  who 
was  unconcernedly  repairing  some  of  the  tools  of  his  ordinary 
craft.  "By  the  way,  I  am  greatly  in  your  debt,  I  learn,  for 
one  thing.  They  tell  me  I've  got  my  squaw  in  my  wigwam  a 
good  deal  sooner,  by  your  advice,  than  I  might  have  otherwise 
done.  Margery  is  now  my  wife,  I  suppose  you  know ;  and  I 
thank  you  heartily,  for  helping  me  to  get  married  so  much 
sooner  than  I  expected  to  be." 


382  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Here  Peter  grasped  Bourdon  by  the  hand,  and  poured  cut 
his  whole  soul,  secret  hopes,  fears,  and  wishes.  On  this  occa- 
sion he  spoke  in  the  Indian  dialect — one  of  those  that  he  knew 
the  bee-hunter  understood.  And  we  translate  what  he  said 
freely  into  English,  preserving  as  much  of  the  original  idiom  as 
the  change  of  language  will  permit. 

"  Listen,  hunter  of  the  bee,  and  great  medicine  of  the  pale- 
faces, and  hear  what  a  chief  that  knows  the  red  men  is  about 
to  tell  you.  Let  my  words  go  into  your  ears ;  let  them  stay 
in  your  mind.  They  are  words  that  will  do  you  good.  It  is 
not  wise  to  let  such  words  come  out  again  by  the  hole  through 
which  they  have  just  entered. 

"My  young  friend  knows  our  traditions.  They  do  not  tell 
us  that  the  In j ins  were  Jews ;  they  tell  us  that  the  Manitou 
created  them  red  men.  They  tell  us  that  our  fathers  used  these 
hunting-grounds  ever  since  the  earth  was  placed  on  the  back  of 
the  big  tortoise  which  upholds  it.  The  pale-faces  say  the  earth 
moves.  If  this  be  true,  it  moves  as  slowly  as  the  tortoise  walks. 
It  cannot  have  gone  far  since  the  Great  Spirit  lifted  his  hand 
off  it.  If  it  move,  the  hunting-grounds  move  with  it,  and  the 
tribes  move  with  their  own  hunting-grounds.  It  may  be  that 
some  of  the  pale-faces  are  lost,  but  no  Injin  is  lost— the  medi- 
cine-priest is  mistaken.  He  has  looked  so  often  in  his  book, 
that  he  sees  nothing  but  what  is  there.  He  does  not  see  what 
is  before  his  eyes,  at  his  side,  behind  his  back,  all  around  him. 
I  have  known  such  Injins.  They  see  but  one  thing  ;  even  the 
deer  jump  across  their  paths,  and  are  not  seen.  \  , 

"  Such  are  our  traditions.  They  tell  us  that  this  land  was 
given  to  the  red  men,  and  not  to  pale-faces.  That  none  but 
red  men  have  any  right  to  hunt  here.  The  Great  Spirit  has 
laws.  He  has  told  us  these  laws.  They  teach  us  to  love  our 
friends,  and  to  hate  our  enemies.  You  don't  believe  this,  Bour- 
don V9  observing  the  bee-hunter  to  wince  a  little,  as  if  he  found 
the  doctrine  bad. 

"This  is  not  what  our  priests  tell  us"  answered  le  Bourdon. 
"  They  tell  us  that  the  white  man's  God  commands  us  to  love 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  383 

all  alike — to  do  good  to  our  enemies,  to  love  them  that  wish 
us  harm,  and  to  treat  all  men  as  we  would  wish  men  to  treat 
us," 

Peter  was  a  good  deal  surprised  at  this  doctrine,  and  it  was 
nearly  a  minute  before  he  resumed  the  discourse.  He  had 
recently  heard  it  several  times,  and  it  was  slowly  working  its 
way  into  his  mind. 

"  Such  are  our  traditions,  and  such  are  our  laws.  Look  at 
me.  Fifty  winters  have  tried  to  turn  my  hair  white.  Time 
can  do  that.  The  hair  is  the  only  part  of  an  Injin  that  ever 
turns  white  ;  all  the  rest  of  him  is  red.  That  is  his  color.  The 
game  knows  an  Injin  by  his  color.  The  tribes  know  him. 
Every  thing  knows  him  by  his  color.  He  knows  the  things 
which  the  Great  Spirit  has  given  him,  in  the  same  way.  He 
gets  used  to  them,  and  they  are  his  acquaintances.  He  does 
not  like  strange  things.  He  does  not  like  strangers.  White  men 
are  strangers,  and  he  does  not  like  to  see  them  on  his  hunting- 
ground.  If  they  come  singly,  to  kill  a  few  buffaloes,  or  to  look 
for  honey,  or  to  catch  beaver,  the  Injins  would  not  complain. 
They  love  to  give  of  their  abundance.  The  pale-faces  do  not 
come  in  this  fashion.  They  do  not  come  as  guests ;  they  come 
as  masters.  They  come  and  they  stay.  Each  year  of  my  fifty 
have  I  heard  of  new  tribes  that  have  been  driven  by  them 
toward  the  setting  sun. 

"  Bourdon,  for  many  seasons  I  have  thought  of  this.  I  have 
tried  to  find  a  way  to  stop  them.  There  is  but  one.  That 
way  must,  the  Injins  try,  or  give  up  their  hunting-grounds  to 
the  strangers.  No  nation  likes  to  give  up  its  hunting-grounds. 
They  come  from  the  Manitou,  and  one  day  he  may  ask  to  have 
them  back  again.  What  could  the  red  men  say,  if  they  let  the 
pale-faces  take  them  away.  No ;  this  we  cannot  do.  We  will 
first  try  the  one  thing  that  is  to  be  done." 

"I  believe  I  understand  you,  Peter/'  observed  le  Bourdon, 
finding  that  his  companion  paused.  "  You  mean  war.  War, 
in  the  Injin  mode  of  redressing  all  wrongs;  war  against  mail, 
woman,  and  child!" 


o84  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

Peter  nodded  in  acquiescence,  fixing  his  glowing  eyes  on  the 
bee-hunter's  face,  as  if  to  read  his  soul. 

"Am  I  to  understand,  then,  that  you  and  your  friends,  the 
chiefs  and  their  followers,  that  I  saw  on  Prairie  Eound,  mean 
to  begin  with  us,  half-a-dozen  whites,  of  whom  two  are  women, 
who  happen  to  be  here  in  your  power — that  our  scalps  are  to 
be  the  first  taken?" 

"  First! — no,  Bourdon.  Peter's  hand  has  taken  a  great 
many,  years  since.  He  has  got  a  name  for  his  deeds,  and  no 
longer  dare  go  to  the  white  men's  forts.  He  does  not  look  for 
Yankees,  he  looks  for  pale-faces.  When  he  meets  a  pale-face 
on  the  prairies,  or  in  the  woods,  he  tries  to  get  his  scalp.  This 
has  he  done  for  years,  and  many  has  he  taken." 

"This  is  a  bloody  account  you  are  giving  of  yourself,  Peter, 
and  I  would  rather  you  should  not  have  told  it.  Some  such 
account  I  have  heard  before ;  but  living  with  you,  and  eating, 
and  drinking,  and  sleeping,  and  travelling  in  your  company,  I 
had  not  only  hoped,  but  begun  to  think,  it  was  not  true." 

"It  is  true.  My  wish  is  to  cut  off  the  pale-faces.  This  must 
be  done,  or  the  pale-faces  will  cut  off  the  Injins.  There  is  no 
choice.  One  nation  or  the  other  must  be  destroyed.  I  am  a 
red  man;  my  heart  tells  me  that  the  pale-faces  should  die. 
They  are  on  strange  hunting-grounds,  not  the  red  men.  They 
are  wrong,  we  are  right.  But,  Bourdon,  I  have  friends  among 
the  pale-faces,  and  it  is  not  natural  to  scalp  our  friends.  I  do 
not  understand  a  religion  that  tells  us  to  love  our  enemies,  and 
to  do  good  to  them  that  do  harm  to  us — it  is  a  strange  religion. 
I  am  a  poor  Injin,  and  do  not  know  what  to  think !  I  shall  not 
believe  that  any  do  this,  till  I  see  it.  I  understand  that  we  ought 
to  love  our  friends.  Your  squaw  is  my  daughter.  I  have  called 
her  daughter — she  knowTs  it,  and  my  tongue  is  not  forked,  like 
a  snake's.  What  it  says,  I  mean.  Once  I  meant  to  scalp  your 
young  squaw,  because  she  was  a  pale-face  squaw,  and  might  be 
the  mother  of  more.  Now  I  do  not  mean  to  scalp  her;  my 
hand  shall  never  harm  her.  My  wisdom  shall  tell  her  how  to 
escape  from  the  hands  of  red  men  who  seek  her  scalp.     You, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  885 

too ;  now  you  are  her  husband,  and  are  a  great  medicine-man 
of  the  Lees,  my  hand  shall  not  hurt  you,  either.  Open  your 
ears  wide,  for  "big  truths  must  go  into  them." 

Peter  then  related  in  full  his  attempt  to  procure  a  safe  pas- 
sage for  le  Bourdon  and  Margery  into  the  settlements,  and  its 
total  failure.  He  owned  that  by  his  previous  combinations  he 
had  awakened  a  spirit  among  the  Indians  that  his  present  efforts 
could  not  quell.  In  a  word,  he  told  the  whole  story  as  it  must 
have  been  made  apparent  to  the  reader,  and  he  now  came  with 
his  plans  to  defeat  the  very  schemes  that  he  had  himself  pre- 
viously projected.  One  thing,  however,  that  he  did  not  con- 
ceal, filled  the  mind  of  his  listener  with  horror,  and  created  so 
strong  an  aversion  to  acting  in  concert  with  one  who  could 
even  allude  to  it  so  coolly,  that  there  was  danger  of  breaking 
off  all  communications  between  the  parties,  and  placing  the 
result  purely  on  force ;  a  course  that  must  have  proved  totally 
destructive  to  all  the  whites.  The  difficulty  arose  from  a  naive 
confession  of  Peter's,  that  he  did  not  even  wish  to  save  any  but 
le  Bourdon  and  Margery,  and  that  he  still  desired  the  deaths 
of  all  the  others,  himself! 


#* 


17 


886  THE      OAK     0PENIHG6. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

44  For  thou  wert  born  of  woman !    Thou  didst  come, 
O  Holiest !  to  this  world  of  sin  and  gloom, 
Not  in  thy  dread  omnipotent  array ; 
And  not  by  thunders  strewed 
Was  thy  tempestuous  road, 
Nor  indignation  burnt  before  thee  on  thy  way. 
But  thee,  a  soft  and  naked  child, 

Thy  mother  undefiled, 
In  the  rude  manger  laid  to  rest 
From  oif  her  virgin  breast.1 ' 

The  blood  of  the  bee-hunter  curdled  in  his  veins  as  he  listened 
to  Peter's  business-like  and  direct  manner  of  treating  this  terri- 
ble subject.  Putting  the  most  favorable  view  on  his  situation, 
it  was  frightful  to  look  on.  Admitting  that  this  fanatical  savage 
were  sincere  in  all  his  professions  of  a  wish  to  save  him  and 
Margery,  and  le  Bourdon  did  not,  nay,  could  not  doubt  this, 
after  his  calm  but  ferocious  revelations  ;  but,  admitting  all  this 
to  be  true,  how  was  he  to  escape  with  his  charming  bride,  envi- 
roned as  they  were  by  so  large  a  band  of  hostile  Indians.  Then 
the  thought  of  abandoning  his  other  companions,  and  attempt- 
ing, in  cold  selfishness,  to  escape  with  Margery  alone,  was  more 
than  he  could  bear.  Never  before,  in  his  adventurous  and  bold 
life,  had  le  Bourdon  been  so  profoundly  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  his  danger,  or  so  much  overcome. 

Still,  our  hero  was  not  unmanned.  He  saw  all  the  hazards, 
as  it  were,  at  a  glance,  and  felt  how  terrible  might  be  the  result 
should  they  really  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  warriors,  excited  to 
exercise  their  ingenuity  in  devising  the  means  of  torture ;  and 
ho  gazed  into  the  frightful  perspective  with  a  manly  steadiness 
that  did  him  credit,  even  while  he  sickened  at  the  prospecl 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  387 

Peter  had  told  his  story  in  a  way  to  add  to  its  horrible  char- 
acter. There  was  a  manner  of  truth,  of  directness,  of  work,  if 
one  may  use  such  an  expression  on  such  a  subject,  that  gave  a 
graphic  reality  to  all  he  said.  As  if  his  task  was  done,  the 
mysterious  chief  now  coolly  arose,  and  moved  away  to  a  little 
grove,  in  which  the  missionary  and  the  corporal  had  thrown 
themselves  on  the  grass,  where  they  lay  speculating  on  the 
probable  course  that  the  bands  in  their  neighbourhood  would 
next  pursue.  So  thoroughly  possessed  was  the  clergyman  with 
his  one  idea,  however,  that  he  was  expressing  regret  at  his  fail- 
ure in  the  attempt  to  convince  the  savages  that  they  were  Jews, 
when  Peter  joined  them. 

"  You  tired — you  lie  down  in  daytime,  like  sick  squaw,  eh  ?" 
asked  the  Indian,  in  a  slightly  satirical  manner.  "Bess  be  up, 
sich  fine  day,  and  go  wid  me  to  see  some  more  chief." 

"  Most  gladly,  Peter,"  returned  the  missionary,  springing  to 
his  feet  with  alacrity — "  and  I  shall  have  one  more  opportunity 
to  show  your  friends  the  truth  of  what  I  have  told  them." 

"Yes,  Injin  love  to  hear  trut' — hate  to  hear  lie.  Can  tell 
'em  all  you  want  to  say.  He  go  too,  eh?"  pointing  to  the  cor- 
poral, who  rather  hung  back,  as  if  he  saw  that  in  the  invitation 
which  was  not  agreeable  to  him. 

"  I  will  answer  for  my  friend,"  returned  the  confiding  mission- 
ary, cheerfully.     "Lead  on,  Peter,  and  we  will  follow." 

Thus  pledged,  the  corporal  no  longer  hesitated ;  but  he  ac- 
companied Parson  Amen,  as  the  latter  fell  into  the  tracks  of  the 
chief,  and  proceeded  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  spring  in 
the  piece  of  bottom-land,  where  the  council  first  described  had 
been  held.  This  spot  was  about  two  miles  from  the  palisaded 
house,  and  quite  out  of  view,  as  well  as  out  of  reach  of  sound. 
As  they  walked  side  by  side,  taking  the  footsteps  of  the  great 
chief  for  their  guides,  the  corporal,  however,  expressed  to  his 
companion  his  dislike  of  the  whole  movement. 

"We  ought  to  stand  by  our  garrison  in  times  like  these,  Mr. 
Amen,"  said  the  well-meaning  soldier.  "A  garrison  is  a  garri- 
son; and  Injins  seldom  do  much  on  a  well-built  and  boldly- 


3S8  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

defended  spot  of  that  natur\  They  want  artillery,  without 
which  their  assaults  are  never  very  formidable. " 

"  "Why  talk  you  of  warlike  means,  corporal,  when  we  are 
in  the  midst  of  friends  ?  Is  not  Peter  our  known  and  well-tried 
associate,  one  with  whom  you  and  I  have  travelled  far ;  and  do 
we  not  know  that  we  have  friends  among  these  chiefs,  whom 
we  are  now  going  to  visit  ?  The  Lord  has  led  me  into  these 
distant  and  savage  regions,  to  carry  his  word,  and  to  proclaim 
his  name;  and  a  most  unworthy  and  unprofitable  servant  should 
I  prove,  were  I  to  hesitate  about  approaching  them  I  am  ap- 
pointed to  teach.  No,  no  ;  fear  nothing.  I  will  not  say  that 
you  carry  Caesar  and  his  fortunes,  as  J  have  heard  was  once 
said  of  old,  but  I  will  say  you  follow  one  who  is  led  of  God, 
and  who  marches  with  the  certainty  of  being  divinely  com- 
manded." 

The  corporal  was  ashamed  to  oppose  so  confident  an  enthu- 
siasm, and  he  offered  no  further  resistance.  Together  the  two 
followed  their  leader,  who,  turning  neither  to  the  right  hand 
nor  to  the  left,  soon  had  them  out  of  sight  of  the  castle,  and 
well  on  their  way  toward  the  spring.  When  about  half  the 
distance  was  made,  the  direction  took  the  party  through  a  little 
thicket,  or  rather  along  its  margin,  and  the  missionary,  a  good 
deal  to  his  surprise,  saw  Pigeonswing  within  the  cover,  seem- 
ingly preparing  for  another  hunt.  This  young  warrior  had  so 
lately  returned  from  one  excursion  of  this  nature,  that  he  was 
not  expected  to  go  forth  so  soon  on  another.  Nor  was  he  ac- 
customed to  go  out  so  early  in  the  day.  This  was  the  hour  in 
which  he  ordinarily  slept ;  but  there  he  was,  beyond  a  question, 
and  apparently  looking  at  the  party  as  it  passed.  So  cold  was 
his  manner,  however,  and  so  indifferent  did  he  seem,  that  no 
one  would  have  suspected  that  he  knew  aught  of  what  was  in 
contemplation.  Having  satisfied  himself  that  his  friend,  the 
bee-hunter,  was  not  one  of  those  who  followed  Peter,  the  Chip- 
pewa turned  coldly  away,  and  began  to  examine  the  flint  of  his 
rifle.  The  corporal  noted  this  manner,  and  it  gave  him  addi- 
tional confidence  to  proceed ;  for  he  could  not  imagine  that  any 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  389 

human  being  would  manifest  so  much  indifference,  when  sinister 
designs  existed. 

Peter  turned  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left,  until 
he  had  led  the  way  down  upon  the  little  arena  of  bottom-land 
already  described,  and  which  was  found  well  sprinkled  with 
savages.  A  few  stood,  or  sat  about  in  groups,  earnestly  con- 
versing ;  but  most  lay  extended  at  length  on  the  green  sward, 
in  the  indolent  repose  that  is  so  grateful  to  an  Indian  warrior 
in  his  hours  of  inaction.  The  arrival  of  Peter,  however,  in- 
stantly put  a  new  face  on  the  appearance  of  matters.  Every 
man  started  to  his  feet,  and  additions  were  made  to  those  who 
were  found  in  the  arena  by  those  who  came  out  of  the  adjacent 
thickets,  until  some  two  or  three  hundred  of  the  red  men  were 
assembled  in  a  circle  around  the  newly-arrived  pale-faces. 

"  There,"  said  Peter,  sternly,  fastening  his  eye  with  a  hos- 
tile expression  on  Bough  of  the  Oak  and  Ungque,  in  particu- 
lar— "there  are  your  captives.  Do  with  them  as  you  will.  As 
for  them  that  have  dared  to  question  my  faith,  let  them  own 
that  they  are  liars  !" 

-  This  was  not  a  very  amicable  salutation,  but  savages  are  ac- 
customed to  plain  language.  Bough  of  the  Oak  appeared  a 
little  uneasy,  and  Ungque's  countenance  denoted  dissatisfaction ; 
but  the  last  was  too  skilful  an  actor,  to  allow  many  of  the 
secrets  of  his  plotting  mind  to  shine  through  the  windows  of  his 
face.  As  for  the  crowd  at  large,  gleams  of  content  passed  over 
the  bright  red  faces,  illuminating  them  with  looks  of  savage  joy. 
Murmurs  of  approbation  were  heard,  and  Crowsfeather  address- 
ed the  throngs  there,  where  it  stood,  encircling  the  two  help- 
less, and  as  yet  but  half-alarmed  victims  of  so  fell  a  plot. 

u  My  brothers  and  my  young  men  can  now  see,"  said  this 
Pottawattamie,  "  that  the  tribeless  chief  has  an  Injin  heart. 
His  heart  is  not  a  pale-face  heart — it  is  that  of  a  red  man. 
Some  of  our  chiefs  have  thought  that  he  had  lived  too  much 
with  the  strangers,  and  that  he  had  forgotten  the  traditions  of 
our  fathers,  and  was  listening  to  the  song  of  the  medicine-priest. 
vSomc  thought  that  he  believed  himself  lost,  and  a  Jew,  and  not 


390  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

an  Injin.  This  is  not  so.  Peter  knows  the  path  he  is  on.  He 
knows  that  he  is  a  redskin,  and  he  looks  on  the  Yankees  as  en- 
emies. The  scalps  he  has  taken  are  so  numerous  they  cannot 
be  counted.  He  is  ready  to  take  more.  Here  are  two  that  he 
gives  to  us.  When  we  have  done  with  these  two  captives,  he 
will  bring  us  more.  He  will  continue  to  bring  them,  until  the 
pale-faces  will  be  as  few  as  the  deer  in  their  own  clearings 
Such  is  the  will  of  the  Manitou." 

The  missionary  understood  all  that  was  said,  and  he  was  not 
a  little  appalled  at  the  aspect  of  things.  For  the  first  time  he 
began  to  apprehend  that  he  was  in  danger.  So  much  was  this 
devout  and  well-intentioned  servant  of  his  church  accustomed 
to  place  his  dependence  on  a  superintending  Providence,  that 
apprehension  of  personal  suffering  seldom  had  any  influence  on 
his  exertions.  He  believed  himself  to  be  an  object  of  especial 
care ;  though  he  was  ever  ready  to  admit  that  the  wisdom 
which  human  minds  cannot  compass,  might  order  events  that, 
at  first  sight,  would  seem  to  be  opposed  to  that  which  ought  to 
be  permitted  to  come  to  pass.  In  this  particular  Parson  Amen 
was  a  model  of  submission,  firmly  believing  that  all  that  hap- 
pened was  in  furtherance  of  the  great  scheme  of  man's  regene- 
ration and  eventual  salvation. 

With  the  corporal  it  was  very  different.  Accustomed  to  war 
with  red  men,  and  most  acquainted  with  them  in  their  worst 
character,  he  ever  suspected  treachery,  and  had  followed  Peter 
with  a  degree  of  reluctance  he  had  not  cared  to  express.  He 
now  thoroughly  took  the  alarm,  however,  and  stood  on  his 
guard.  Although  he  did  not  comprehend  more  than  half  of 
that  which  Peter  had  said,  he  understood  quite  enough  to  see 
that  he  and  the  missionary  were  surrounded  by  enemies,  if  not 
by  executioners. 

"We  have  fallen  into  a  sort  of  ambush  here,  Parson  Amen," 
cried  the  corporal,  rattling  his  arms  as  he  looked  to  their  con- 
dition, M  and  it's  high  time  we  beat  thegeneral.  If  there  were 
four  on  us  we  might  form  a  square ;  but  being  only  two,  the 
best  thing  we  can  do  will  be  to  stand  back  to  back,  and  for  one 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  391 

to  keep  an  eye  on  the  right  flank,  while  he  nat'rally  watches  all 
in  front ;  and  for  the  other  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  left  flank,  while 
he  sees  to  the  rear.  Place  your  back  close  to  mine,  and  take 
the  left  flank  into  your  part  of  the  look-out.  Closer,  closer,  my 
good  sir;  we  must  stand  solid  as  rooted  trees,  to  make  any 
thing  of  a  stand." 

The  missionary,  in  his  surprise,  permitted  the  corporal  to  as- 
sume the  position  described,  though  conscious  of  its  uselessncss 
in  their  actual  condition.  As  for  the  Indians,  the  corporal's 
manner  and  the  rattling  of  his  arms,  induced  the  circle  to  re- 
cede several  paces  ;  though  nothing  like  alarm  prevailed  among 
them.  The  effect,  nevertheless,  was  to  leave  the  two  captives 
space  for  their  evolutions,  and  a  sort  of  breathing  time.  This 
little  change  had  the  appearance  of  something  like  success,  and 
it  greatly  encouraged  the  corporal.  He  began  to  think  it  even 
possible  to  make  a  retreat  that  would  be  as  honorable  as  any 
victory. 

"  Steady — keep  shoulder  to  shoulder,  Parson  Amen,  and 
take  care  of  your  flank.  Our  movement  must  be  by  our  left 
flank,  and  every  thing  depends  on  keeping  that  clear.  I  shall 
have  to  give  you  my  baggonet,  for  you  're  entirely  without  arms, 
which  leaves  my  rear  altogether  exposed." 

"  Think  nothing  of  your  arms,  Brother  Flint — they  would  be 
useless  in  my  hands  in  any  case  ;  and,  were  we  made  of  mus- 
kets, they  could  be  of  no  use  against  these  odds.  b  My  means 
of  defence  come  from  on  high ;  my  armor  is  faith  ;  and  my 
only  weapon,  prayer.  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  use  the  last  on  this, 
as  on  all  other  occasions." 

The  missionary  then  called  on  the  circle  of  curious  savages 
by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  and  who  certainly  contemplated 
nothing  less  than  his  death,  in  common  with  those  of  all  his 
white  companions,  to  unite  with  him  in  addressing  the  throne 
of  Grace.  Accustomed  to  preach  and  pray  to  these  people  in 
their  own  dialect,  the  worthy  parson  made  a  strong  appeal  to 
their  charities,  while  supplicating  the  favors  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence in  behalf  of  himself  and  his  brother  captive.     He  asked 


392  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

for  all  the  usual  benedictions  and  blessings  on  his  enemies,  and 
made  a  very  happy  exposition  of  those  sublime  dogmas  of 
Christianity,  which  teach  us  to  "  bless  them  that  curse  us,"  and 
to  "  pray  for  those  who  despitefully  use  us."  Peter,  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life,  was  now  struck  with  the  moral  beauty  of  such 
a  sentiment,  which  seldom  fails,  when  duly  presented,  of  pro- 
ducing an  effect  on  even  the  dullest  minds.  His  curiosity  was 
touched,  and  instead  of  turning  coldly,  as  had  been  his  inten- 
tion, and  leaving  the  captives  in  the  hands  of  those  to  whom  ho 
had  delivered  them,  he  remained  in  the  circle,  and  paid  the 
closest  attention  to  all  of  the  proceedings.  He  had  several  times 
previously  heard  the  missionary  speak  of  this  duty  as  a  com- 
mand of  God's,  but  never  before  had  he  deemed  it  possible  to 
realize  such  a  thing  in  practice. 

The  Indians,  if  not  absolutely  awe-struck  by  the  singular 
spectacle  before  them,  seemed  well  disposed  to  let  the  mission- 
ary finish  his  appeal ;  some  wondering,  others  doubting,  and 
all  more  or  less  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  make  of  an  exhibition 
so  unusual.  There  stood  the  corporal,  with  his  back  pressed 
closely  to  that  of  his  companion,  his  musket  at  "  make  ready," 
and  his  whole  mien  that  of  a  man  with  every  nerve  screwed  to 
the  sticking  point ;  while  the  missionary,  the  other  side  of  the 
picture,  with  outstretched  arms,  was  lifting  his  voice  in  prayer 
to  the  throne  of  the  Most  High.  As  this  extraordinary  scene 
continued,  the  corporal  grew  excited ;  and  ere  long  his  voice 
was  occasionally  heard,  blended  with  that  of  the  clergyman,  in 
terms  of  advice  and  encouragement. 

"Blaze  away,  Mr.  Amen,"  shouted  the  soldier.  "Give  'em 
another  volley — you're  doing  wonders,  and  their  front  has  given 
ground  !  One  more  such  volley  as  the  last,  and  we'll  make  a 
forward  movement,  ourselves — attention  ! — prepare  to  march 
by  the  left  flank,  as  soon  as  there  is  a  good  opening !" 

That  good  opening,  however,  was  never  made.  The  savages, 
though  astonished,  were  by  no  means  frightened,  and  had  not 
the  smallest  idea  of  letting  their  captives  escape.  On  the  con- 
trary, Bear's  Meat,  who  acted  as  commander-in-chief  on  this 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  393 

occasion,  was  quite  self-possessed,  and  so  far  from  being  im- 
pressed with  the  missionary's  prayer,  he  listened  to  it  only  in 
the  hope  of  hearing  some  admission  of  weakness  escape.  But 
the  excitement  of  the  corporal  soon  produced  a  crisis.  His 
attempts  to  make  a  movement  "by  the  left  flank,"  caused  his 
column  of  defence  to  be  broken,  and  obtaining  no  assistance 
from  Parson  Amen,  who  was  still  pouring  out  his  soul  in  prayer, 
while  endeavoring  to  bring  things  back  to  their  original  state, 
he  suddenly  found  himself  surrounded  and  disarmed.  From 
that  instant,  the  corporal  changed  his  tactics.  So  long  as  he 
was  armed,  and  comparatively  free,  he  had  bethought  him  only 
of  the  means  of  resistance ;  now  that  these  were  denied  him, 
he  submitted,  and  summoned  all  his  resolution  to  bear  the 
penalties  of  his  captivity,  in  a  manner  that  might  not  do  dis- 
credit to  his  regiment.  This  was  the  third  time  that  Corporal 
Flint  had  been  a  prisoner  among  the  Indians,  and  he  was  not 
now  to  learn  the  nature  of  their  tender  mercies.  His  forebod- 
ings were  not  of  the  most  pleasant  character ;  but  that  which 
could  not  be  helped,  he  was  disposed  to  bear  with  manly  forti- 
tude. His  greatest  concern,  at  that  fearful  moment,  was  for 
the  honor  of  his  corps. 

All  this  time,  Parson  Amen  continued  his  prayer.  So  com- 
pletely was  his  spirit  occupied  with  the  duty  of  offering  up  his 
petition,  that  he  was  utterly  unconscious  of  what  else  had 
passed;  nor  had  he  heard  one  of  the  corporal's  appeals  for 
"attention,"  and  to  be  "steady,"  and  to  march  "by  the  left 
flank."  In  a  word,  the  whole  man  was  intent  on  prayer  ;  and 
when  thus  employed,  a  six-pounder  discharged  in  the  circle, 
would  hardly  have  disconcerted  him.  He  persevered,  therefore, 
uninterrupted  by  his  conquerors,  until  he  concluded  in  his  own 
way.  Having  thus  fortified  his  soul,  and  asked  for  succor 
where  he  had  now  so  long  been  accustomed  to  seek  and  to  find 
it,  the  worthy  missionary  took  his  seat  quietly  on  a  log,  on 
which  the  corporal  had  been  previously  placed  by  his  captors. 

The  time  had  arrived  for  the  chiefs  to  proceed  in  the  execu- 
tion of  their   purposes.      Peter,  profoundly    struck  with  the 


394  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

prayers  of  the  missionary  in  behalf  of  his  enemies,  had  taken  a 
station  a  little  on  one  side,  where  he  stood  ruminating  on  what 
he  had  just  heard.  If  ever  precept  bore  the  stamp  of  a  divine 
origin,  it  is  this.  The  more  we  reflect  on  it,  the  clearer  do  our 
perceptions  of  this  truth  become.  The  whole  scheme  of  Christ's 
redemption  and  future  existence  is  founded  in  love,  and  such  a 
system  would  be  imperfect  while  any  were  excluded  from  its 
benefits.  To  love  those  who  reciprocate  our  feelings  is  so  very 
natural,  that  the  sympathies  which  engender  this  feeling,  are 
soonest  attracted  by  a  knowledge  of  their  existence ;  love  pro- 
ducing love,  as  power  increases  power.  But  to  love  those  who 
hate  us,  and  to  strive  to  do  good  to  those  who  are  plotting  evil 
against  ourselves,  greatly  exceeds  the  moral  strength  of  man, 
unaided  from  above.  This  was  the  idea  that  puzzled  Peter,  and 
he  now  actually  interrupted  the  proceedings,  in  order  to  satisfy 
his  mind  on  a  subject  so  totally  new  to  him.  Previously,  how- 
ever, to  taking  this  step,  he  asked  the  permission  of  the  princi- 
pal chiefs,  awakening  in  their  bosoms  by  means  of  his  explana- 
tions, some  of  the  interest  in  this  subject  that  he  felt  himself. 

"  Brother  medicine-man,"  said  the  mysterious  chief,  drawing 
nearer  to  the  missionary,  accompanied  himself  by  Bear's  Meat, 
Crowsfeather,  and  one  or  two  more,  "  you  have  been  talking  to 
the  Great  Spirit  of  the  pale-faces.  "We  have  heard  your  words, 
and  think  them  well.  They  are  good  words  for  a  man  about 
to  set  out  on  the  path  that  leads  to  the  unknown  lands.  Thither 
we  must  all  go  some  time,  and  it  matters  little  when.  We  may 
not  all  travel  the  same  path.  I  do  not  think  the  Manitou  will 
crowd  tribes  of  different  colors  together,  there,  as  they  are  get- 
ting to  be  crowded  together,  here. 

"  Brother,  you  are  about  to  learn  how  all  these  things  really 
are.  If  red  men,  and  pale-faces,  and  black  men  are  to  live  in 
the  same  land,  after  death,  you  will  shortly  know  it.  My 
brother  is  about  to  go  there.  He  and  his  friend,  this  warrior 
of  his  people,  will  travel  on  that  long  path  in  company.  I  hope 
they  will  agree  by  the  way,  and  not  trouble  each  other.  It 
will  be  convenient  to  my  brother  to  have  a  hunter  with  him  ; 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  305 

the  path  is  so  long,  he  will  be  hungry  before  he  gets  to  the 
end.  This  warrior  knows  how  to  use  a  musket,  and  we  shall 
put  his  arms  with  him  in  his  grave. 

"Brother,  before- you  start  on  this  journey,  from  which  no 
traveller  ever  returns,  let  his  color  be  what  it  may,  we  wish  to 
hear  you  speak  further  about  loving  our  enemies.  This  is  not 
the  Indian  rule.  The  red  men  hate  their  enemies,  and  love 
their  friends.  When  they  ask  the  Manitou  to  do  any  thing  to 
their  enemies,  it  is  to  do  them  harm.  This  is  what  our  fathers 
taught  us :  it  is  what  we  teach  our  children.  Why  should  we 
love  them  that  hate  us  ?  why  should  we  do  good  to  them  that 
do  us  harm  ?     Tell  us  now,  or  we  may  never  hear  the  reason." 

"  Tell  you  I  will,  Peter,  and  the  Lord  so  bless  my  words, 
that  they  may  soften  your  hearts,  and  lead  you  all  to  the  truth, 
and  to  dependence  on  the  mediation  of  his  blessed  Son  !  We 
should  do  good  to  them  that  do  evil  to  us,  because  the  Great 
Spirit  has  commanded  us  so  to  do.  Ask  your  own  heart  if 
this  is  not  right  ?  If  they  sound  like  words  that  are  spoken  by 
any  but  those  who  have  been  taught  by  the  Manitou,  himself? 
The  devils  tell  us  to  revenge,  but  God  commands  us  to  forgive. 
It  is  easy  to  do  good  to  them  that  do  good  to  us  ;  but  it  tries 
the  heart  sorely  to  do  good  to  them  that  do  us  evil.  I  have 
spoken  to  you  of  the  Son  of  the  Great  Spirit.  He  came  on 
earth,  and  told  us  with  his  own  mouth  all  these  great  truths. 
He  said  that  next  to  the  duty  of  loving  the  Manitou,  was  the 
duty  of  loving  our  neighbors.  No  matter  whether  friend  or 
enemy  ;  it  was  our  duty  to  love  them,  and  do  them  all  the 
good  we  can.  If  there  is  no  venison  in  their  wigwams,  we 
should  take  the  deer  off  our  own  poles,  and  carry  it  and  put  on 
theirs.  Why  have  I  come  here  to  tell  you  this  ?  When  at 
home,  I  lived  under  a  good  roof,  eat  of  abundance,  and  slept  in 
a  soft  and  warm  bed.  You  know  how  it  is  here.  We  do  not 
know  to-day  what  we  shall  eat  to-morrow.  Our  beds  are  hard, 
and  our  roofs  are  of  bark.  I  come,  because  the  Son  of  the 
Manitou,  he  who  came  and  lived  among  men,  told  us  to  do  all 
Ma.     His  commands  to  his  medicine-men  were,  to  go  forth, 


390  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

and  tell  all  nations,  and  tribes,  and  colors,  tlie  truth — to  tell 
them  to  '  love  them  that  sought  to  do  them  harm,  and  to  do 
good  for  evil.' " 

Parson  Amen  pausing  a  moment  to  take  breath,  Ungquc, 
who  detected  the  wavering  of  Peter's  mind,  and  who  acted  far 
more  in  opposition  to  the  mysterious  and  tribeless  chief  than 
from  any  other  motive,  profited  by  the  occasion  thus  afforded 
to  speak.  Without  this  pause,  however,  the  breeding  of  an 
Indian  would  have  prevented  any  interruption. 

"  I  open  my  mouth  to  speak,"  said  The  Weasel,  in  his  hum- 
blest manner.  "What  I  say  is  not  fit  for  the  wise  chiefs  to 
hear.  It  is  foolish,  but  my  mind  tells  me  to  say  it.  Does  the 
medicine-man  of  the  pale-faces  tell  us  that  the  Son  of  the 
Great  Spirit  came  upon  earth,  and  lived  among  men  V* 

"  I  do  ;  such  is  our  belief;  and  the  religion  we  believe  and 
teach  cometh  directly  from  his  mouth." 

"  Let  the  medicine-man  tell  the  chiefs  how  long  the  Son  of 
the  Great  Spirit  stayed  on  earth,  and  which  way  he  went  when 
he  left  it?" 

Now,  this  question  was  put  by  Ungque  through  profound 
dissimulation.  He  had  heard  of  the  death  of  Christ,  and  had 
obtained  some  such  idea  of  the  great  sacrifice,  as  would  be  apt 
to  occur  to  the  mind  of  a  savage.  He  foresaw  that  the  effect 
of  the  answer  would  be  very  likely  to  destroy  most  of  the  in- 
fluence that  the  missionary  had  just  been  building  up,  by  means 
of  his  doctrine  and  his  prayers.  Parson  Amen  was  a  man  of 
singular  simplicity  of  character,  but  he  had  his  misgivings 
touching  the  effect  of  this  reply.  Still  he  did  not  scruple  about- 
giving  it,  or  attempt  in  any  manner  to  mystify  or  to  deceive. 

"  It  is  a  humiliating  and  sad  story,  my  brethren,  and  one  that 
ought  to  cause  all  heads  to  be  bowed  to  the  earth  in  shame,"  he 
answered.  "The  Son  of  the  Great  Spirit  came  among  men; 
he  did  nothing  but  good ;  told  those  who  heard  him  how  to 
live  and  how  to  die.  In  return  for  all  this,  wicked  and  unbe- 
lieving men  put  him  to  death.  After  death  his  body  was  taken 
ap  into  Heaven — the  region  of  departed  spirits,  and  the  dwel- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  397 

ling-place  of  his  Father — where  he  now  is,  waiting  for  the  time 
when  he  is  to  return  to  the  earth,  to  reward  the  good  and  to 
punish  the  wicked.  That  time  will  surely  come  ;  nor  do  I  be- 
lieve the  day  to  be  very  distant." 

The  chiefs  listened  to  this  account  with  grave  attention. 
Some  of  them  had  heard  outlines  of  the  same  history  before. 
Accounts  savoring  of  the  Christian  history  had  got  blended 
with  some  of  their  own  traditions,  most  probably  the  fruits  of 
the  teachings  of  the  earlier  missionaries,  but  were  so  confused 
and  altered,  as  to  be  scarcely  susceptible  of  being  recognized. 
To  most  of  them,  however,  the  history  of  the  incarnation  of 
the  Son  of  God  was  entirely  new ;  and  it  struck  them  as  a  most 
extraordinary  thing  altogether,  that  any  man  should  have  in- 
jured such  a  being  !  It  was,  perhaps,  singular  that  no  one  of 
them  all  doubted  the  truth  of  the  tradition  itself.  This  they 
supposed  to  have  been  transmitted  with  the  usual  care,  and  they 
received  it  as  a  fact  not  to  be  disputed.  The  construction  that 
was  put  on  its  circumstances  will  best  appear  in  the  remarks  that 
followed. 

"If  the  pale-faces  killed  the  Son  of  the  Great  Spirit,"  said 
Bough  of  the  Oak,  pointedly,  "we  can  see  why  they  wish  to 
drive  the  red  men  from  their  lands.  Evil  spirits  dwell  in  such 
men,  and  they  do  nothing  but  what  is  bad.  I  am  glad  that  our 
great  chief  has  told  us  to  put  the  foot  on  this  worm  and  crush 
it,  while  yet  the  Indian  foot  is  large  enough  to  do  it.  In  a  few 
winters  they  would  kill  us,  as  they  killed  the  Spirit  that  did 
them  nothing  but  good  !" 

"  I  am  afraid  that  this  mighty  tradition  hath  a  mystery  in  it 
that  your  Indian  minds  will  scarcely  be  willing  to  receive,"  re- 
sumed the  missionary,  earnestly.  "  I  would  not,  for  a  thousand 
worlds,  or  to  save  ten  thousand  lives  as  worthless  as  my  own, 
place  a  straw  in  the  way  of  the  faith  of  any ;  yet  must  I  tell 
the  thing  as  it  happened.  This  Son  of  the  Great  Spirit  was 
certainly  killed  by  the  Jews  of  that  day,  so  far  as  he  could  be 
killed.  He  possessed  two  natures,  as  indeed  do  all  men ;  the 
body  and  soul.     In  his  body  he  w^as  man,  as  we  all  are  men  ;  in 


398  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

his  soul  he  was  a  part  of  the  Great  Spirit  himself.  This  is  the 
great  mystery  of  our  religion.  We  cannot  tell  how  it  can  hap- 
pen, but  we  believe  it.  We  see  around  us  a  thousand  things 
that  we  cannot  understand,  and  this  is  one  of  them." 

Here  Bear's  Meat  availed  himself  of  another  pause,  to  make 
a  remark.  This  he  did  with  the  keenness  of  one  accustomed 
to  watch  words  and  events  closely,  but  with  a  simplicity  that 
showed  no  vulgar  disposition  to  scepticism. 

"  We  do  not  expect  that  all  the  Great  Spirit  does  can  bo 
clear  to  us  Indians,"  he  said.  "We  know  very  little;  he 
knows  every  thing.  Why  should  we  think  to  know  all  that  he 
knows  ?  We  do  not.  That  part  of  the  tradition  gives  us  no 
trouble.  Indians  can  believe  without  seeing.  They  are  not 
squaws,  that  wish  to  look  behind  every  bush.  But  my  brother 
has  told  too  much  for  his  own  good.  If  the  pale-faces  killed 
their  Great  Spirit,  they  can  have  no  Manitou,  and  must  be  in 
the  hands  of  the  Evil  Spirit.  This  is  the  reason  they  want  our 
hunting-grounds.  I  will  not  let  them  come  any  nearer  to  the 
setting  sun.  It  is  time  to  begin  to  kill  them,  as  they  killed  their 
Great  Spirit.  The  Jews  did  this.  My  brother  wishes  us  to 
think  that  red  men  are  Jews !  No ;  red  men  never  harmed  the 
Son  of  the  Great  Spirit.  They  would  receive  him  as  a  friend, 
and  treat  him  as  a  chief.  Accursed  be  the  hand  that  should  be 
raised  to  harm  him.  This  tradition  is  a  wise  tradition.  It  tells 
us  many  things.  It  tells  us  that  Injins  are  not  Jews.  They 
never  hurt  the  Son  of  the  Great  Spirit.  It  tells  us  that  the  red 
men  have  always  lived  on  these  hunting-grounds,  and  did  not 
come  from  toward  the  rising  sun.  It  tells  us  that  pale-faces  are 
not  fit  to  live.     They  are  too  wicked.     Let  them  die." 

"  I  would  ask  a  question,"  put  in  Peter.  "  This  tradition  is 
not  new.  I  have  heard  it  before.  It  entered  but  a  little  way 
into  my  ears.  I  did  not  think  of  it.  It  has  now  entered  deep- 
er, and  I  wish  to  hear  more.  Why  did  not  the  Son  of  the  Great 
Spirit  kill  the  Jews? — why  did  he  let  the  Jews  kill  him  ?  Will 
my  brother  say?" 

"He  came  on  earth  to  die  for  man,  whose  wickedness  was  so 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  399 

deep  tli at  the  Great  Spirit's  justice  could  not  be  satisfied  with 
less.  Why  this  is  so  no  one  knows.  It  is  enough  that  it  should 
be  so.  Instead  of  thinking  of  doing  harm  to  his  tormentors 
and  murderers,  he  died  for  them,  and  died  asking  for  benefits 
on  them,  and  on  their  wives  and  children,  for  all  time  to  come. 
It  was  he  who  commanded  us  to  do  good  to  them  that  do  harm 
to  us." 

Peter  gave  the  utmost  attention  to  this  answer,  and  when  he 
had  received  it,  he  walked  apart,  musing  profoundly.  It  is  wor- 
thy of  being  observed,  that  not  one  of  these  savages  raised  any 
hollow  objections  to  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  as  would  have  been  the  case  with  so  many  civilized  men. 
To  them  this  appeared  no  more  difficult  and  incomprehensible 
than  most  of  that  which  they  saw  around  them.  It  is  when  we 
begin  to  assume  the  airs  of  philosophy,  and  to  fancy,  because 
we  know  a  little,  that  the  whole  book  of  knowledge  is  within 
our  grasp,  that  men  become  sceptics.  There  is  not  a  human 
being  now  in  existence  who  does  not  daily,  hourly  see  that 
which  is  just  as  much  beyond  his  powers  of  comprehension,  as 
this  account  of  the  incarnation  of  the  Deity,  and  the  whole 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity ;  and  yet  he  acquiesces  in  that  which  is 
before  his  eyes,  because  it  is  familiar  and  he  sees  it,  while  he 
cavils  at  all  else,  though  the  same  unknown  and  inexplicable 
cause  lies  behind  every  thing.  The  deepest  philosophy  is  soon 
lost  in  this  general  mystery,  and,  to  the  eye  of  a  meek  reason, 
all  around  us  is  a  species  of  miracle,  which  must  be  referred  to 
the  power  of  the  Deity. 

While  thus  disposed  to  receive  the  pale-face  traditions  with 
respect,  however,  the  red  men  did  not  lose  sight  of  their  own 
policy  and  purposes.  The  principal  chiefs  now  stepped  aside, 
and  held  a  brief  council.  Though  invited  to  do  so,  Peter  did 
not  join  them  ;  leaving  to  Bough  of  the  Oak,  TJngque,  and 
Bear's  Meat  the  control  of  the  result.  The  question  was, 
whether  the  original  intention  of  including  this  medicine-priest 
among  those  to  be  cut  off,  should,  or  should  not,  be  adhered  to. 
One  or  two  of  the  chiefs  had  their  doubts,  but  the  opinion  of 
fchn  council  was  adverse. 


4-00  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

"If  the  pale-faces  killed  the  Son  of  their  Great  Spirit,  why 
should  we  hesitate  about  killing  them  VI  The  Weasel  asked,  with 
malicious  point,  for  he  saw  that  Peter  was  now  sorely  troubled 
at  the  probability  of  his  own  design  being  fully  carried  out. 
"  There  is  no  difference.  This  is  a  medicine-priest — in  the  wig- 
wam is  a  medicine-bee-hunter,  and  that  warrior  may  be  a  medi- 
cine-warrior. We  do  not  know.  We  are  poor  Injins  that  know 
but  little.  It  is  not  so  with  the  pale-faces :  they  talk  with  the  con- 
jurer's bees,  and  know  much.  We  shall  not  have  ground 
enough  to  take  even  a  musk-rat,  soon,  unless  we  cut  off  the  stran- 
gers.    The  Manitou  has  given  us  these  ;  let  us  kill  them." 

As  no  one  very  strenuously  opposed  the  scheme,  the  question 
was  soon  decided,  and  Ungque  was  commissioned  to  communi- 
cate the  result  to  the  captives.  One  exception,  however,  was  to 
be  made  in  favor  of  the  missionary.  His  object  appeared  to  be 
peaceful,  and  it  was  determined  that  he  should  be  led  a  short 
distance  into  the  surrounding  thicket,  and  be  there  put  to  death, 
without  any  attempt  to  torture,  or  aggravate  his  sufferings.  As 
a  mark  of  singular  respect,  it  was  also  decided  not  to  scalp  him. 

As  Ungque,  and  those  associated  with  him,  led  the  mission- 
ary to  the  place  of  execution,  the  former  artfully  invited  Peter 
to  follow.  This  was  done  simply  because  the  Weasel  saw  that 
it  would  now  be  unpleasant  to  the  man  he  hated — hated,  mere- 
ly because  he  possessed  an  influence  that  he  coveted  for  himself. 

"  My  father  will  see  a  pleasant  sight,'7  said  the  wily  Weasel, 
as  he  walked  at  Peter's  side,  toward  the  indicated  spot;  "he 
will  see  a  pale-face  die,  and  know  that  his  foot  has  been  put 
upon  another  worm." 

No  answer  was  made  to  this  ironical  remark,  but  Peter  walk- 
ed in  silence  to  the  place  where  the  missionary  was  stationed, 
surrounded  by  a  guard.     Ungque  now  advanced  and  spoke. 

"It  is  time  for  the  medicine-priest  of  the  pale-faces  to  start 
after  the  spirits  of  his  people  who  have  gone  before  him,"  he 
said.  "The  path  is  long,  and  unless  he  walks  fast,  and  starts 
soon,  he  may  not  overtake  them.  I  hope  he  will  sec  some  of 
them  that  helped  to  kill  the  Son  of  his  Great  Spirit,  starving, 
and  foot-sore,  on  the  wav." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  401 

"I  understand  you,"  returned  the  missionary,  after  a  few 
moments  passed  in  recovering  from  the  shock  of  this  communi- 
cation. "  My  hour  is  come.  I  have  held  my  life  in  my  hand 
ever  since  I  first  put  foot  in  this  heathen  region,  and  if  it  be 
the  Creator's  will  that  I  am  now  to  die,  I  bow  to  the  decree. 
Grant  me  a  few  minutes  for  prayer  to  my  God." 

Ungque  signed  that  the  delay  should  be  granted.  The  mis- 
sionary uncovered  his  head,  knelt,  and  again  lifted  up  his  voice 
in  prayer.  At  first  the  tones  were  a  little  tremulous ;  but  they 
grew  firmer  as  he  proceeded.  Soon  they  became  as  serene  as 
usual.  He  first  asked  mercy  for  himself,  threw  all  his  hopes  on 
the  great  atonement,  and  confessed  how  far  he  was  from  that 
holiness  which  alone  could  fit  him  to  see  God.  When  this  duty 
was  performed,  he  prayed  for  his  enemies.  The  language  used 
was  his  mother  tongue,  but  Peter  comprehended  most  of  that 
which  was  said.  He  heard  his  own  people  prayed  for ;  he 
heard  his  own  name  mentioned,  as  the  condemned  man  asked 
the  mercy  of  the  Manitou  in  his  behalf.  Never  before  was  the 
soul  of  this  extraordinary  savage  so  shaken.  The  past  seemed 
like  a  dream  to  him,  while  the  future  possessed  a  light  that  was 
still  obscured  by  clouds.  Here  was  an  exemplification  in  prac- 
tice of  that  divine  spirit  of  love  and  benevolence  which  had 
struck  him,  already,  as  so  very  wonderful.  There  could  be  no 
mistake.  There  was  the  kneeling  captive,  and  his  words,  clear, 
distinct,  and  imploring,  ascended  through  the  cover  of  the 
bushes  to  the  throne  of  God. 

As  soon  as  the  voice  of  the  missionary  was  mute,  the  mys- 
terious chief  bowed  his  head  and  moved  away.  He  was  then 
powerless.  No  authority  of  his  could  save  the  captive,  and  the 
sight  that  so  lately  would  have  cheered  his  eyes,  was  now  too 
painful  to  bear.  He  heard  the  single  blow  of  the  tomahawk 
which  brained  the  victim,  and  he  shuddered  from  head  to  foot. 
It  was  the  first  time  such  a  weakness  had  ever  come  over  him. 
As  for  the  missionary,  in  deference  to  his  pursuits,  his  execu- 
tioners dug  him  a  grave,  and  buried  him  unmutilated  on  the 
spot  where  he  had  fallen. 


402  THE      OAK     OFENINOS. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

"  Brutal  alike  in  deed  and  word, 

"With  callous  heart  and  hand  of  strife, 
How  like  a  fiend  may  man  be  made, 
Plying  the  foul  and  monstrous  trade 
Whose  harvest-field  is  human  life." 

WlIITTlER. 

A  veil  like  that  of  oblivion,  dropped  before  tlie  form  of  the 
missionary.  The  pious  persons  who  had  sent  him  forth  to 
preach  to  the  heathen,  never  knew  his  fate ;  a  disappearance 
that  was  so  common  to  that  class  of  devoted  men,  as  to  pro- 
duce regret  rather  than  surprise.  Even  those  who  took  his  life, 
felt  a  respect  for  him ;  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  was  to 
the  eloquence  of  the  man  who  now  would  have  died  to  save 
him,  that  his  death  was  alone  to  be  attributed.  Peter  had 
awakened  fires  that  he  could  not  quench,  and  aroused  a  spirit 
that  he  could  not  quell.  In  this  respect,  he  resembled  most  of 
those  who,  under  the  guise  of  reform,  or.  revolution,  in  moments 
of  doubt,  set  in  motion  a  machine  that  is  found  impossible  to 
control,  when  it  is  deemed  expedient  to  check  exaggeration  by 
reason.  Such  is  often  the  case  with  even  well-intentioned 
leaders,  who  constantly  are  made  to  feel  how  much  easier  it  is 
to  light  a  conflagration,  than  to  stay  its  flames  when  raging. 

Corporal  Flint  was  left  seated  on  the  log,  while  the  bloody 
scene  of  the  missionary's  death  was  occurring.  He  was  fully 
alive  to  all  the  horrors  of  his  own  situation,  and  comprehended 
the  nature  of  his  companion's  movements.  The  savages  usually 
manifested  so  much  respect  for  missionaries,  that  he  was  in  no 
degree  surprised.  Parson  Amen  had  been  taken  apart  for  his 
execution,  and  when  those  who  had  caused  his  removal  returned, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  403 

the  corporal  looked  anxiously  for  the  usual  but  revolting  token  of 
his  late  companion's  death.  As  has  been  said,  however,  the 
missionary  was  suffered  to  lie  in  his  wild  grave,  without  suffer- 
ing a  mutilation  of  his  remains. 

Notwithstanding  this  moderation,  the  Indians  were  getting 
to  be  incited  by  this  taste  of  blood.  The  principal  chiefs  be- 
came sterner  in  their  aspects,  and  the  young  men  began  to  man- 
ifest some  such  impatience  as  that  which  the  still  untried  pup 
betrays,  when  he  first  scents  his  game.  All  these  were  ominous 
symptoms,  and  were  well  understood  by  the  captive. 

Perhaps  it  would  not  have  been  possible,  in  the  whole  range 
of  human  feelings,  to  find  two  men  under  influences  more  widely 
opposed  to  each  other,  than  were  the  missionary  and  the  corpo- 
ral, in  this,  their  last  scene  on  earth.  The  manner  of  Parson 
Amen's  death  has  been  described.  He  died  in  humble  imita- 
tion of  his  Divine  Master,  asking  for  blessings  on  those  who 
were  about  to  destroy  him,  with  a  heart  softened  by  Christian 
graces,  and  a  meekness  that  had  its  origin  in  the  consciousness 
of  his  own  demerits.  On  the  other  hand,  the  corporal  thought 
only  of  vengeance.  Escape,  he  knew  to  be  impossible,  and  he 
would  fain  take  his  departure  like  a  soldier,  or  as  he  conceived 
a  soldier  should  die  in  the  midst  of  fallen  foes. 

Corporal  Flint  had  a  salutary  love  of  life,  and  would  very 
gladly  escape,  did  the  means  offer ;  but,  failing  of  these,  all  his 
thoughts  turned  toward  revenge.  Some  small  impulses  of  am- 
bition, or  what  it  is  usual  to  dignify  with  that  term,  showed 
themselves  even  at  that  serious  moment.  He  had  heard  around 
the  camp-fires,  and  in  the  garrisons,  so  many  tales  of  heroism  and 
of  fortitude  manifested  by  soldiers  who  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians,  that  a  faint  desire  to  enrol  his  own  name  on  the 
list  of  these  worthies,  was  beginning  to  arise  in  his  breast.  But 
truth  compels  us  to  add,  that  the  predominant  feeling  was  the 
wish  to  revenge  his  own  fate,  by  immolating  as  many  of  his  foes 
as  possible.  To  this  last  purpose,  therefore,  his  thoughts  were 
mainly  directed,  during  that  interval  which  his  late  companion 
had  employed  in  prayers  for  those  under  whose  blows  he  was 


4.-04  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

about  to  fall.  Such  is  the  difference  in  man,  with,  his  heart 
touched,  or  untouched,  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

It  was,  however,  much  easier  for  the  corporal  to  entertain 
designs  of  the  nature  mentioned,  than  to  carry  them  out :  un- 
armed, surrounded  by  watchful  enemies,  and  totally  without  sup- 
port of  any  sort,  the  chances  of  effecting  his  purpose  were  small 
indeed.  Once,  for  a  minute  only,  the  veteran  seriously  turned 
his  thoughts  to  escape.  It  occurred  to  him,  that  he  might 
possibly  reach  the  castle,  could  he  get  a  little  start ;  and  should 
the  Indians  compel  him  to  run  the  gauntlet,  as  was  often  their 
practice,  he  determined  to  make  an  effort  for  life  in  that  mode. 
Agreeably  to  the  code  of  frontier  warfare,  a  successful  flight  of 
this  nature  was  scarcely  less  creditable  than  a  victory  in  the  field. 

Half-an-hour  passed  after  the  execution  of  the  missionary, 
before  the  chiefs  commenced  their  proceedings  with  the  corpo- 
ral. The  delay  was  owing  to  a  consultation,  in  which  The 
Weasel  had  proposed  despatching  a  party  to  the  castle,  to  bring 
in  the  family,  and  thus  make  a  common  destruction  of  the  re- 
maining pale-faces,  known  to  be  in  that  part  of  the  Openings. 
Peter  did  not  dare  to  oppose  this  scheme,  himself;  but  he  so 
managed  as  to  get  Crowsfeather  to  do  it,  without  bringing  him- 
self into  the  fore-ground.  The  influence  of  the  Pottawattamie 
prevailed,  and  it  was  decided  to  torture  this  one  captive,  and  to 
secure  his  scalp,  before  they  proceeded  to  work  their  will  on  the 
others.  Ungque,  who  had  gained  ground  rapidly  by  his  late 
success,  was  once  more  commissioned  to  state  to  the  captive  the 
intentions  of  his  captors. 

"Brother,"  commenced  The  "Weasel,  placing  himself  directly 
in  front  of  the  corporal,  "  I  am  about  to  speak  to  you.  A  wise 
warrior  opens  his  ears,  when  he  hears  the  voice  of  his  enemy. 
lie  may  learn  something  it  will  be  good  for  him  to  know.  It 
will  be  good  for  you  to  know  what  I  am  about  to  say. 

"  Brother,  you  are  a  pale-face,  and  we  are  Injins.  You  wish 
to  get  our  hunting  grounds,  and  we  wish  to  keep  them.  To 
keep  them,  it  has  become  necessary  to  take  your  scalp.  I  hope 
you  are  ready  to  let  us  have  it." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  405 

The  corporal  had  but  an  indifferent  knowledge  of  the  Indian 
language,  but  he  comprehended  all  that  was  uttered  on  this  oc- 
casion. Interest  quickened  his  faculties,  and  no  part  of  what 
was  said  was  lost.  The  gentle,  slow,  deliberate  manner  in 
which  The  Weasel  delivered  himself,  contributed  to  his  means 
of  understanding.  He  was  fortunately  prepared  for  what  he 
heard,  and  the  announcement  of  his  approaching  fate  did  not 
disturb  him  to  the  degree  of  betraying  weakness.  This  last  was 
a  triumph  in  which  the  Indians  delighted,  though  they  ever 
showed  the  most  profound  respect  for  such  of  their  victims  as 
manifested  a  manly  fortitude.  It  was  necessary  to  reply,  which 
the  corporal  did  in  English,  knowing  that  several  present  could 
interpret  his  words.  With  a  view  to  render  this  the  more  easy, 
he  spoke  in  fragments  of  sentences,  and  with  great  deliberation. 

"Injins,"  returned  the  corporal,  "you  surrounded  me,  and  I 
have  been  taken  prisoner — had  there  been  a  platoon  on  us,  you 
might  n't  have  made  out  quite  so  well.  It's  no  great  victory  for 
three  hundred  warriors  to  overcome  a  single  man.  I  count 
Parson  Amen  as  worse  than  nothing,  for  he  looked  to  neither 
rear  nor  flank.  If  I  could  have  half-an-hour's  work  upon  you, 
with  only  half  of  our  late  company,  I  think  we  should  lower 
your  conceit.  But,  that  is  impossible,  and  so  you  may  do  just 
what  you  please  with  me.     I  ask  no  favors." 

Although  this  answer  was  very  imperfectly  translated,  it 
awakened  a  good  deal  of  admiration.  A  man  who  could  look 
death  so  closely  in  the  face,  with  so  much  steadiness,  became  a 
sort  of  hero,  in  Indian  eyes ;  and  with  the  North  American 
savage,  fortitude  is  a  virtue  not  inferior  to  courage.  Murmurs 
of  approbation  were  heard,  and  Ungque  was  privately  requested 
to  urge  the  captive  further,  in  order  to  see  how  far  present  ap- 
pearances were  likely  to  be  maintained. 

"  Brother,  I  have  said  that  we  are  Injins,"  resumed  The 
Weasel,  with  an  air  so  humble,  and  a  voice  so  meek,  that  a 
stranger  might  have  supposed  he  was  consoling,  instead  of  en- 
deavoring to  intimidate  the  prisoner.  "It  is  true.  We  are 
nothing  but  poor,  ignorant  Injins.     We  can  only  torment  out 


406  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

prisoners  after  Injin  fashion.  If  we  were  pale-faces,  we  might 
do  better.  We  did  not  torment  the  medicine-priest.  We  were 
afraid  he  would  laugh  at  our  mistakes.  He  knew  a  great  deal. 
We  know  but  little.     We  do  as  well  as  we  know  how. 

"  Brother,  when  Injins  do  as  well  as  they  know  how,  a  war- 
rior should  forget  their  mistakes.  We  wish  to  torment  yon,  in 
a  way  to  prove  that  you  are  all  over  man.  We  wish  so  to  tor* 
ment  you,  that  you  will  stand  up  under  the  pain  in  such  a  way, 
that  it  will  make  our  young  men  think  your  mother  was  not  a 
squaw — that  there  is  no  woman  in  you.  We  do  this  for  our 
own  honor,  as  well  as  for  yours.  It  will  be  an  honor  to  us  to 
have  such  a  captive ;  it  will  be  an  honor  to  you  to  be  such  a 
captive.     We  shall  do  as  well  as  we  know  how. 

"  Brother,  it  is  most  time  to  begin.  The  tormenting  will 
last  a.  long  time.  We  must  not  let  the  medicine-priest  get  too 
great  a  start  on  the  path  to  the  happy  hunting-grounds  of 
your — " 

Here,  a  most  unexpected  interruption  occurred,  that  effect- 
ually put  a  stop  to  the  eloquence  of  Ungque.  In  his  desire  to 
make  an  impression,  the  savage  approached  within  reach  of  the 
captive's  arm,  while  his  own  mind  was  intent  on  the  words  that 
he  hoped  would  make  the  prisoner  quail.  The  corporal  kept 
his  eye  on  that  of  the  speaker,  charming  him,  as  it  were,  into  a 
riveted  gaze,  in  return.  Watching  his  opportunity,  he  caught 
the  tomahawk  from  The  Weasel's  belt,  and  by  a  single  blow, 
felled  him  dead  at  his  feet.  Not  content  with  this,  the  old 
soldier  now  bounded  forward,  striking  right  and  left,  inflicting 
six  or  eight  wounds  on  others,  before  he  could  be  again  arrested, 
disarmed,  and  bound.  While  the  last  was  doing,  Peter  with- 
drew, unobserved. 

Many  were  the  "  hughs"  and  other  exclamations  of  admira- 
tion, that  succeeded  this  display  of  desperate  manhood !  The 
body  of  The  Weasel  was  removed,  and  interred,  while  the 
wounded  withdrew  to  attend  to  their  hurts ;  leaving  the  arena 
to  the  rest  assembled  there.  As  for  the  corporal,  he  was  pretty 
well  blown,  and,  in  addition  to  being  now  bound  hand  and  foot, 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  407 

Lis  recent  exertions,  which  were  terrific  while  they  lasted,  cffec- 
tually  incapacitated  him  from  making  any  move,  so  long  as  he 
was  thus  exhausted  and  confined. 

A  council  was  now  held  by  the  principal  chiefs.  Ungque 
had  few  friends.  In  this,  he  shared  the  fate  of  most  dema- 
gogues, who  are  commonly  despised  even  by  those  they  lead 
and  deceive.  No  one  regretted  him  much,  and  some  were  ac- 
tually" glad  of  his  fate.  But  the  dignity  of  the  conquerors 
must  be  vindicated.  It  would  never  do  to  allow  a  pale-face  to 
obtain  so  great  an  advantage,  and  not  take  a  signal  vengeance 
for  his  deeds.  After  a  long  consultation,  it  was  determined  to 
subject  the  captive  to  the  trial  by  saplings,  and  thus  see  if  he 
could  bear  the  torture  without  complaining.  As  some  of  our 
readers  may  not  understand  what  this  fell  mode  of  tormenting 
is,  it  may  be  necessary  to  explain. 

There  is  scarcely  a  method  of  inflicting  pain,  that  comes 
within  the  compass  of  their  means,  that  the  North  American 
Indians  have  not  essayed  on  their  enemies.  When  the  infernal 
ingenuity  that  is  exercised,  on  these  occasions,  fails  of  its  effect, 
the  captives  themselves  have  been  heard  to  suggest  other  means 
of  torturing  that  they  have  known  practised  successfully  by 
their  own  people.  There  is  often  a  strange  strife  between  the 
tormentors  and  the  tormented  ;  the  one  to  manifest  skill  in  in- 
flicting pain,  and  the  other  to  manifest  fortitude  in  enduring  it. 
As  has  just  been  said,  quite  as  much  renown  is  often  acquired 
by  the  warrior,  in  setting  all  the  devices  of  his  conquerors  at 
defiance,  while  subject  to  their  hellish  attempts,  as  in  deeds  of 
arms.  It  might  be  more  true  to  say  that  such  was  the  practice 
among  the  Indians,  than  to  say,  at  the  present  time,  that  such 
is  ;  for  it  is  certain  that  civilization  in  its  approaches,  while  it 
has  in  many  particulars  even  degraded  the  red  man,  has  had  a 
silent  effect  in  changing  and  mitigating  many  of  his  fiercer 
customs — this,  perhaps,  among  the  rest.  It  is  probable  that 
the  more  distant  tribes  still  resort  to  all  these  ancient  usages ; 
but  it  is  both  hoped  and  believed  that  those  nearer  to  the  whites 
do  not. 


408  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

The  "  torture  by  saplings"  is  one  of  those  modes  of  inflicting 
pain,  that  would  naturally  suggest  themselves  to  savages. 
Young  trees  that  do  not  stand  far  apart  are  trimmed  of  their 
branches,  and  brought  nearer  to  each  other  by  bending  then- 
bodies  ;  the  victim  is  then  attached  to  both  trunks,  sometimes 
by  his  extended  arms,  at  others  by  his  legs,  or  by  whatever  part 
of  the  frame  cruelty  can  suggest,  when  the  saplings  arc  re- 
leased, and  permitted  to  resume  their  upright  positions.  Of 
course,  the  sufferer  is  lifted  from  the  earth,  and  hangs  suspend- 
ed by  his  limbs,  with  a  strain  on  them  that  soon  produces  the 
most  intense  anguish.  The  celebrated  punishment  of  the  "  knout" 
partakes  a  good  deal  of  this  same  character  of  suffering.  Bough 
of  the  Oak  now  approached  the  corporal,  to  let  him  know  how 
high  an  honor  was  in  reserve  for  him. 

"Brother,"  said  this  ambitious  orator,  "you  are  a  brave 
warrior.  You  have  done  well.  Not  only  have  you  killed  one 
of  our  chiefs,  but  you  have  wounded  several  of  our  young  men. 
No  one  but  a  brave  could  have  done  this.  You  have  forced  us 
to  bind  you,  lest  you  might  kill  some  more.  It  is  not  often 
that  captives  do  this.  Your  courage  has  caused  us  to  consult 
how  we  might  best  torture  you,  in  a  way  most  to  manifest  your 
manhood.  After  talking  together,  the  chiefs  have  decided  that 
a  man  of  your  firmness  ought  to  be  hung  between  two  young 
trees.  We  have  found  the  trees,  and  have  cut  off  their 
branches.  You  can  see  them.  If  they  were  a  little  larger 
their  force  would  be  greater,  and  they  would  give  you  more 
pain — would  be  more  worthy  of  you  ;  but  these  are  the  largest 
saplings  we  could  find.  Had  there  been  any  larger,  we  would 
have  let  you  have  them.  We  wish  to  do  you  honor,  for  you 
are  a  bold  warrior,  and  worthy  to  be  well  tormented. 

"  Brother,  look  at  these  saplings  !  They  are  tall  and  straight. 
"When  they  are  bent  by  many  hands,  they  will  come  together. 
Take  away  the  hands,  and  they  will  become  straight  again. 
Your  arms  must  then  keep  them  together.  We  wish  we  had 
some  pappooses  here,  that  they  might  shoot  arrows  into  your 
flesh.     That  would  help  much  to  torment  you.     You  cannot 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  409 

have  this  honor,  for  we  have  no  pappooses.  We  are  afraid  to  let 
our  young  men  shoot  arrows  into  your  flesh.  They  are  strong, 
and  might  kill  you.  We  wish  you  to  die  between  the  saplings, 
as  is  your  right,  being  so  great  a  brave. 

"  Brother,  we  think  much  better  of  you  since  you  killed  The 
Weasel,  and  hurt  our  young  men.  If  all  your  warriors  at  Chi- 
cago had  been  as  bold  as  you,  Black-Bird  would  not  have  taken 
that  fort.  You  would  have  saved  many  scalps.  This  encour- 
ages us.  It  makes  us  think  the  Great  Spirit  means  to  help  us, 
and  that  we  shall  kill  all  the  pale-faces.  When  we  get  further 
into  your  settlements,  we  do  not  expect  to  meet  many  such 
braves  as  you.  They  tell  us  we  shall  then  find  men  who  will 
run,  and  screech  like  women.  It  will  not  be  a  pleasure  to  tor- 
ment such  men.  We  had  rather  torment  a  bold  warrior,  like 
you,  who  makes  us  admire  him  for  his  manliness.  We  love 
our  squaws,  but  not  in  the  war-path.  They  are  best  in  the 
lodges ;  here  we  want  nothing  but  men.  You  are  a  man — a 
brave — we  honor  you.  We  think,  notwithstanding,  we  shall 
yet  make  you  weak.  It  will  not  be  easy,  yet  we  hope  to  do  it. 
We  shall  try.  We  may  not  think  quite  so  well  of  you,  if  we 
do  it ;  but  we  shall  always  call  you  a  brave.  A  man  is  not  a 
stone.  We  can  all  feel,  and  when  we  have  done  all  that  is  in 
our  power,  no  one  can  do  more.  It  is  so  with  Injins ;  we  think 
it  must  be  so  with  pale-faces.  We  mean  to  try  and  see  how 
it  is." 

The  corporal  understood  very  little  of  this  harangue,  though 
he  perfectly  comprehended  the  preparations  of  the  saplings,  and 
Bough  of  the  Oak's  allusions  to  them.  He  was  in  a  cold  sweat 
at  the  thought,  for  resolute  as  he  was,  he  foresaw  sufferings  that 
human  fortitude  could  hardly  endure.  In  this  state  of  the  case, 
and  in  the  frame  of  mind  he  was  in,  he  had  recourse  to  an  ex- 
pedient of  which  he  had  often  heard,  and  which  he  thought 
might  now  be  practised  to  some  advantage.  It  was  to  open 
upon  the  savages  with  abuse,  and  to  exasperate  them  by  taunts 
and  sarcasm,  to  such  a  degree  as  might  induce  some  of  the 
weaker  members  of  the  tribe  to  dispatch  him  on  the  spot.  As 
18 


410  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

the  corporal,  with  the  perspective  of  the  saplings  before  his 
eyes,  manifested  a  good  deal  of  ingenuity  on  this  occasion,  wo 
shall  record  some  of  his  efforts. 

"D'ye  call  yourselves  chiefs  and  warriors?"  he  began,  upon 
a  pretty  high  key.  "I  call  ye  squaws!  There  is  not  a  man 
among  ye.  Dogs  would  be  the  best  name.  You  are  poor  In- 
jins.  A  long  time  ago,  the  pale-faces  came  here  in  two  or  three 
little  canoes.  They  were  but  a  handful,  and  you  were  plentier 
than  prairie  wolves.  Your  bark  could  be  heard  throughout  the 
land#  Well,  what  did  this  handful  of  pale-faces  ?  It  drove  your 
fathers  before  them,  until  they  got  all  the  best  of  the  hunting- 
grounds.  Not  an  Injin  of  you  all,  now,  ever  get  down  on  the 
shores  of  the  great  salt-lake,  unless  to  sell  brooms  and  baskets, 
and  then  he  goes  sneaking  like  a  wolf  after  a  sheep.  You  have 
forgotten  how  clams  and  oysters  taste.  Your  fathers  had  as 
many  of  them  as  they  could  eat ;  but  not  one  of  you  ever 
tasted  them.  The  pale-faces  cat  them  ail.  If  an  Injin  asked 
for  one,  they  would  throw  the  shell  at  his  head,  and  call  him  a 
dog. 

"Do  you  think  that  my  chiefs  would  hang  one  of  you  be- 
tween two  such  miserable  saplings  as  these  ?  No  !  They  would 
scorn  to  practice  such  pitiful  torture.  They  would  bring  the 
tops  of  two  tall  pines  together,  trees  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high,  and  put  their  prisoner  on  the  topmost  boughs,  for  the 
crows  and  ravens  to  pick  his  eyes  out.  But  you  are  miserable 
Injins  !  You  know  nothing.  If  you  know'  d  any  better,  would 
you  act  such  poor  torment  ag'in  a  great  brave  ?  I  spit  upon  ye, 
and  call  you  squaws.  The  pale-faces  have  made  women  of  ye. 
They  have  taken  out  your  hearts,  and  put  pieces  of  dog's  flesh 
in  their  places." 

Here  the  corporal,  who  delivered  himself  with  an  animation 
suited  to  his  language,  was  obliged  to  pause,  literally  for  want 
of  breath.  Singular  as  it  may  seem,  this  tirade  excited  great 
admiration  among  the  savages.  It  is  true,  that  very  few  under- 
stood what  was  said ;  perhaps  no  one  understood  all,  but  the 
manner  was  thought  to  be  admirable.     "When  some  of  the  Ian- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  411 

guage  was  interpreted,  a  deep  but  smothered  resentment  was 
felt ;  more  especially  at  the  taunts  touching  the  manner  in  which 
the  whites  had  overcome  the  red  men.  Truth  is  hard  to  he 
borne,  and  the  individual,  or  people,  who  will  treat  a  thousand 
injurious  lies  with  contempt,  feel  all  their  ire  aroused  at  one 
reproach  that  has  its  foundation  in  fact.  Nevertheless,  the  an- 
ger that  the  corporal's  words  did,  in  truth,  awaken,  was  suc- 
cessfully repressed,  and  he  had  the  disappointment  of  seeing 
that  his  life  was  spared  for  the  torture. 

"  Brother,"  said  Bough  of  the  Oak,  again  placing  himself 
before  the  captive,  "you  have  a  stout  heart.  It  is  made  of 
stone,  and  not  of  flesh.  If  our  hearts  be  of  dog's  meat,  yours 
is  of  stone.  "What  you  say  is  true.  The  pale-faces  did  come 
at  first  in  two  or  three  canoes,  and  there  were  but  few  of  them. 
We  are  ashamed,  for  it  is  true.  A  few  pale-faces  drove  toward 
the  setting  sun  many  Injins.  But  we  cannot  be  driven  any 
further.  We  mean  to  stop  here,  and  begin  to  take  all  the  scalps 
we  can.  A  great  chief,  who  belongs  to  no  one  tribe,  but  be- 
longs to  all  tribes,  who  speaks  all  tongues,  has  been  sent  by 
the  Great  Spirit  to  arouse  us.  He  has  done  it.  You  know 
him.  He  came  from  the  head  of  the  lake  with  you,  and  kept 
his  eye  on  your  scalp.  He  has  meant  to  take  it  from  the  first. 
He  waited  only  for  an  opportunity.  That  opportunity  has  come, 
and  we  now  mean  to  do  as  he  has  told  us  we  ought  to  do. 
This  is  right.  Squaws  are  in  a  hurry;  warriors  know  how  to 
wait.  We  would  kill  you  at  once,  and  hang  your  scalp  on  our 
pole,  but  it  would  not  be  right.  We  wish  to  do  what  is  right. 
If  we  are  poor  Injins,  and  know  but  little,  we  know  what  is 
right.  It  is  right  to  torment  so  great  a  brave,  and  we  mean  to 
do  it.  It  is  only  just  to  you  to  do  so.  An  old  warrior  who 
has  seen  so  many  enemies,  and  who  has  so  big  a  heart,  ought 
not  to  be  knocked  in  the  head  like  a  pappoose  or  a  squaw.  It 
is  his  right  to  be  tormented.  We  are  getting  ready,  and  shall 
soon  begin.  If  my  brother  can  tell  us  a  new  way  of  torment- 
ing, we  are  willing  to  try  it.  Should  we  not  make  out  as  well 
as  pale-faces,  my  brother  will  remember  who  we  are.    We  mean 


412  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

to  do  our  best,  and  we  hope  to  make  his  heart  soft.  If  we  do 
this,  great  will  be  our  honor.  Should  we  not  do  it,  we  cannot 
help  it.     We  shall  try." 

It  was  now  the  corporal's  turn  to  put  in  a  rebutter.  This  ho 
did  without  any  failure  in  will  or  performance.  By  this  time 
he  was  so  well  warmed  as  to  think  or  care  very  little  about  the 
saplings,  and  to  overlook  the  pain  they  might  occasion. 

"Dogs  can  do  little  but  bark;  'specially  Injin  dogs,"  he  said. 
"  Injins  themselves  are  little  better  than  their  own  dogs.  They 
can  bark,  but  they  don't  know  how  to  bite.  You  have  many 
great  chiefs  here.  Some  are  panthers,  and  some  bears,  and 
some  buffaloes;  but  where  are  your  weasels?  I  have  fit  you 
now  these  twenty  years,  and  never  have  I  known  ye  to  stand 
up  to  the  baggonet.     It's  not  Injin  natur'  to  do  that." 

Here  the  corporal,  without  knowing  it,  made  some  such  re- 
proach to  the  aboriginal  warriors  of  America  as  the  English 
used  to  throw  into  the  teeth  of  ourselves — that  of  not  standing 
up  to  a  weapon  which  neither  party  possessed.  It  was  matter 
of  great  triumph  that  the  Americans  would  not  stand  the  charge 
of  the  bayonet  at  the  renowned  fight  on  Breed's,  for  instance, 
when  it  is  well  known  that  not  one  man  in  five  among  the 
colonists  had  any  such  weapon  at  all  to  "stand  up"  with.  A 
different  story  was  told  at  Guildford,  and  Stony  Point,  and 
Eutaw,  and  Bennington,  and  Bemis'  Heights,  and  fifty  other 
places  that  might  be  named,  after  the  troops  were  furnished 
with  bayonets.  Then  it  was  found  that  the  Americans  could 
use  them  as  well  as  others,  and  so  might  it  have  proved  with 
the  red  men,  though  their  discipline,  or  mode  of  fighting,  scarce 
admitted  of  such  systematic  charges.  All  this,  however,  the 
corporal  overlooked,  much  as  if  he  were  a  regular  historian  who 
was  writing  to  make  out  a  case. 

"Harkee,  brother,  since  you  will  call  me  brother;  though, 
Heaven  be  praised,  not  a  drop  of  nigger  or  Injin  blood  runs 
in  my  veins,"  resumed  the  corporal.  "  Harkee,  friend  redskin, 
answer  me  one  thing.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a  man  as 
Mad  Anthony?     He  was  the  tickler  for  your  infernal  tribes! 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  413 

You  pulled  no  saplings  together  for  him.  He  put  you  up  with 
*  the  long-knives  and  leather-stockings,'  and  you  outrun  his 
fleetest  horses.  I  was  with  him,  and  saw  more  naked  backs 
than  naked  faces  among  your  people,  that  day.  Your  Great 
Bear  got  a  rap  on  his  nose  that  sent  him  to  his  village  yelping 
like  a  cur." 

Again  was  the  corporal  compelled  to  stop  to  take  "breath. 
The  allusion  to  Wayne,  and  his  defeat  of  the  Indians,  excited 
so  much  ire,  that  several  hands  grasped  knives  and  tomawhawks, 
and  one  arrow  was  actually  drawn  nearly  to  the  head ;  but  the 
frown  of  Bear's  Meat  prevented  any  outbreak,  or  actual  violence. 
It  was  deemed  prudent,  however,  to  put  an  end  to  this  scene, 
lest  the  straight-forward  corporal,  who  laid  it  on  heavily,  and 
who  had  so  much  to  say  about  Indian  defeats,  might  actually 
succeed  in  touching  some  festering  wound  that  would  bring 
him  to  his  death  at  once.  It  was,  accordingly,  determined  to 
proceed  with  the  torture  of  the  saplings  without  further  delay. 

The  corporal  was  removed  accordingly,  and  placed  between 
the  two  bended  trees,  which  were  kept  together  by  withes 
around  their  tops.  An  arm  of  the  captive  was  bound  tightly 
at  the  wrist  to  the  top  of  each  tree,  so  that  his  limbs  were  to 
act  as  the  only  tie  between  the  saplings,  as  soon  as  the  withes 
should  be  cut.  The  Indians  now  worked  in  silence,  and  the 
matter  was  getting  to  be  much  too  serious  for  the  corporal  to 
indulge  in  any  more  words.  The  cold  sweat  returned,  and 
many  an  anxious  glance  was  cast  by  the  veteran  on  the  fell  pre- 
parations. Still  he  maintained  appearances,  and  when  all  was 
ready,  not  a  man  there  was  aware  of  the  agony  of  dread  which 
prevailed  in  the  breast  of  the  victim.  It  was  not  death  that  he 
feared  as  much  as  suffering.  A  few  minutes,  the  corporal  well 
knew,  would  make  the  pain  intolerable,  while  he  saw  no  hope 
of  putting  a  speedy  end  to  his  existence.  A  man  might  live 
hours  in  such  a  situation.  Then  it  was  that  the  teachings  of 
childhood  were  revived  in  the  bosom  of  this  hardened  man,  and 
he  remembered  the  being  that  died  for  him,  in  common  with 
the  rest  of  the  human  race,  on  the  tree.     The  seeming  similari- 


414  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

ty  of  his  own  execution  struck  his  imagination,  and  brought  a 
tardy  but  faint  recollection  of  those  lessons  that  had  lost  most 
of  their  efficacy  in  the  wickedness  and  impiety  of  camps. 
His  soul  struggled  for  relief  in  that  direction,  but  the  present 
scene  was  too  absorbing  to  admit  of  its  lifting  itself  so  far  above 
his  humanity. 

"  Warrior  of  the  pale-faces,"  said  Bough  of  the  Oak,  "we 
are  going  to  cut  the  withe.  You  will  then  be  where  a  brave 
man  will  want  all  his  courage.  If  you  are  firm,  we  will  do  you 
honor ;  if  you  faint  and  screech,  our  young  men  will  laugh  at 
you.  This  is  the  way  with  Injins.  They  honor  braves  ;  they 
point  the  finger  at  cowards." 

Here  a  sign  was  made  by  Bear's  Meat,  and  a  warrior  raised 
the  tomahawk  that  was  to  separate  the  fastenings.  His  hand 
was  in  the  very  act  of  descending,  when  the  crack  of  a  rifle  was 
heard,  and  a  little  smoke  rose  out  of  the  thicket,  near  the  spcjfc 
where  the  bee-hunter  and  the  corporal,  himself,  had  remained 
so  long  hid,  on  the  occasion  of  the  council  first  held  in  that 
place.  The  tomahawk  fell,  however,  the  withes  were  parted, 
and  up  flew  the  saplings,  with  a  violence  that  threatened  to  tear 
the  arms  of  the  victim  out  of  their  sockets. 

The  Indians  listened,  expecting  the  screeches  and  groans  ; — ■ 
they  gazed,  hoping  to  witness  the  writhings  of  their  captive. 
But  they  were  disappointed.  There  hung  the  body,  its  arms 
distended,  still  holding  the  tops  of  the  saplings  bowed,  but  not 
a  sign  of  life  was  seen.  A  small  line  of  blood  trickled  down 
the  forehead,  and  above  it  was  the  nearly  imperceptible  hole 
made  by  the  passage  of  a  bullet.  The  head  itself  had  fallen 
forward,  and  a  little  on  one  shoulder.  The  corporal  had  escaped 
the  torments  reserved  for  him,  by  this  friendly  blow. 

It  was  so  much  a  matter  of  course  for  an  Indian  to  revenue 
his  own  wounds — to  alleviate  his  smarts,  by  retaliating  on  those 
who  inflicted  them — that  the  chiefs  expressed  neither  surprise 
nor  resentment  at  the  manner  of  the  corporal's  death.  There 
was  some  disappointment,  it  is  true  ;  but  no  anger  was  mani- 
fested, since  it  was  supposed  that  some  one  of  those  whom  the 


THE     OAK      OPENINGS.  415 

prisoner  had  wounded  had  seen  fit,  in  this  mode,  to  revenge 
his  own  hurts.  In  this,  however,  the  Indians  deceived  them- 
selves. The  well-intentioned  and  deadly  shot,  that  saved  the 
corporal  from  hours  of  agony,  came  from  the  friendly  hand  of 
Pigeonswing  ;  who  had  no  sooner  discharged  his  rifle,  than  he 
stole  away  through  the  thicket,  and  was  never  discovered.  This 
he  did,  too,  at  the  expense  of  Ungque's  scalp,  on  which  he  had 
set  his  heart. 

As  for  the  Indians,  perceiving  that  their  hopes  of  forcing  a 
captive  to  confess  his  weakness  were  frustrated,  they  conferred 
together  on  the  course  of  future  proceedings.  There  was  an 
enquiry  for  Peter,  but  Peter  was  not  to  be  found.  Bough  of 
the  Oak  suggested  that  the  mysterious  chief  must  have  gone 
to  the  palisaded  hut,  in  order  to  get  the  remaining  scalps,  his 
passion  for  this  symbol  of  triumphs  over  pale-faces  being  well 
known.  It  was,  therefore,  incumbent  on  the  whole  band  to  fol- 
low, with  the  double  view  of  sharing  in  the  honor  of  the  assault, 
and  of  rendering  assistance. 

Abandoning  the  body  of  the  corporal  where  it  hung,  away 
went  these  savages,  by  this  time  keenly  alive  to  the  scent  of 
blood.  Something  like  order  was  observed,  however,  each 
chief  leading  his  own  particular  part  of  the  band,  in  his  own 
way,  but  on  a  designated  route.  Bear's  Meat  acted  as  com- 
mander-in-chief, the  subordinate  leaders  following  his  instruc- 
tions with  reasonable  obedience.  Some  went  in  one  direction, 
others  in  another;  until  the  verdant  bottom  near  the  sweet 
spring  was  deserted. 

In  less  than  half-an-hour  the  whole  band  was  collected  around 
Castle  Meal,  distant,  however,  beyond  the  range  of  a  rifle.  The 
different  parties,  as  they  arrived,  announced  their  presence  by 
whoops,  which  were  intended  to  answer  the  double  purpose  of 
signals,  and  of  striking  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  besieged ;  the. 
North  American  Indians  making  ample  use  of  this  great  auxil- 
iary in  war. 

All  this  time  no  one  was  seen  in  or  about  the  fortified  hut. 
The  gate  was  closed,  as  were  the  doors  and  windows,  manifest* 


410  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

ing  preparations  for  defence  ;  but  the  garrison  kept  close.  Noi 
was  Peter  to  be  seen.  He  might  be  a  prisoner,  or  lie  might  not 
have  come  in  this  direction.  It  was  just  possible  that  he  might 
be  stealing  up  to  the  building,  to  get  a  nearer  view,  and  a  closer 
scout. 

Indian  warfare  is  always  stealthy.  It  is  seldom,  indeed,  that 
the  aboriginal  Americans  venture  on  an  open  assault  of  any 
fortified  place,  however  small  and  feeble  it  may  be.  Ignorant 
of  the  use  of  artillery,  and  totally  without  that  all-important 
arm,  their  approaches  to  any  cover,  whence  a  bullet  may  be 
sent  against  them,  are  ever  wary,  slow,  and  well  concerted. 
They  have  no  idea  of  trenches — do  not  possess  the  means  of 
making  them,  indeed — but  they  have  such  substitutes  of  their 
own  as  usually  meet  all  their  wants,  more  particularly  in  por- 
tions of  the  country  that  are  wooded.  In  cases  like  this  before 
our  present  band,  they  had  to  exercise  their  wits  to  invent  new 
modes  of  effecting  their  purposes. 

Bear's  Meat  collected  his  principal  chiefs,  and,  after  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  consultation,  it  was  determined,  in  the  pres- 
ent instance,  to  try  the  virtue  of  fire.  The  only  sign  of  life  they 
could  detect  about  the  hut,  was  an  occasional  bark  from  Hive, 
who  had  been  taken  within  the  building,  most  probably  to  pro- 
tect him  from  the  bullets  and  arrows  of  the  enemy.  Even  this 
animal  did  not  howl,  like  a  dog  in  distress ;  but  he  barked,  as 
if  aware  of  the  vicinity  of  strangers.  The  keenest  scrutiny  could 
not  detect  an  outlet  of  any  sort  about  the  hut.  Every  thing  was 
tightly  closed,  and  it  was  impossible  to  say  when,  or  whence,  a 
bullet  might  not  be  sent  against  the  unwary. 

The  plan  was  soon  formed,  and  was  quite  as  rapidly  executed. 
Bough  of  the  Oak,  himself,  supported  by  two  or  three  other 
braves,  undertook  to  set  the  buildings  on  fire.  This  was  done  by 
approaching  the  kitchen,  dodging  from  tree  to  tree,  making  each 
movement  with  a  rapidity  that  defeated  aim,  and  an  irregularity 
that  defied  calculation.  In  this  way  the  kitchen  was  safely 
reached,  where  there  was  a  log  cover  to  conceal  the  party. 
Here  also  was  firo,  the  food  for  dinner  being  left,  just  as  it  had 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  417 

been  put  over  to  boil,  not  long  before.  The  Indians  had  pre- 
pared themselves  with  arrows  and  light  wood,  and  soon  they 
commenced  sending  their  flaming  missiles  toward  the  roof  of 
the  hut.  Arrow  after  arrow  struck,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  roof  was  on  fire. 

A  yell  now  arose  throughout  the  Openings.  Far  and  near  the 
Indians  exulted  at  their  success.  The  wood  was  dry,  and  it  Avas 
of  a  very  inflammable  nature.  The  wind  blew,  and  in  half  an 
hour  Castle  Meal  was  in  a  bright  blaze.  Hive  now  began  to 
howl,  a  sign  that  he  knew  his  peril.  Still,  no  human  being  ap- 
peared. Presently  the  flaming  roof  fell  in,  and  the  savages  lis- 
tened intently  to  hear  the  screeches  of  their  victims.  The 
howls  of  the  dog  increased,  and  he  was  soon  seen,  with  his  hair 
burned  from  his  skin,  leaping  on  the  unroofed  wall,  and  thence 
into  the  area  within  the  palisades.  A  bullet  terminated  his 
sufferings  as  he  alighted. 

Bear's  Meat  now  gave  the  signal,  and  a  general  rush  was 
made.  No  rifle  opposed  them,  and  a  hundred  Indians  were 
soon  at  the  palisades.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  the  gate  was 
found  unfastened.  Rushing  within,  the  door  of  the  hut  was 
forced,  and  a  view  obtained  of  the  blazing  furnace  within.  The 
party  had  arrived  in  sufficient  season  to  perceive  fragments  of 
le  Bourdon's  rude  furniture  and  stores  yet  blazing,  but  nowhere 
was  a  human  corpse  visible.  Poles  were  got,  and  the  brands 
were  removed,  in  the  expectation  of  finding  bones  beneath 
them ;  but  without  success.  It  was  now  certain  that  no  pale- 
face had  perished  in  that  hut.  Then  the  truth  flashed  on  the 
minds  of  all  the  savages :  le  Bourdon  and  his  friends  had  taken 
the  alarm  in  time,  and  had  escaped ! 


418  THE      OAK     OPENINGS 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

"  Behold,  O  Lord !  the  heathen  tread 
The  branches  of  thy  fruitful  vine, 
That  its  luxurious  tendrils  spread 

O'er  all  the  hills  of  Palestine. 
And  now  the  wild  boar  comes  to  waste 
Even  us,  the  greenest  boughs  and  last, 
That,  drinking  of  its  choicest  dew, 
On  Zion's  hill  in  beauty  grew." 

MlLMAN. 

The  change  in  Peter  had  been  gradually  making  itself  appa- 
rent, ever  since  he  joined  the  party  of  the  bee-hunter.  When 
he  entered  the  Kalamazoo,  in  the  company  of  the  two  men  who 
had  now  fallen  the  victims  of  his  own  designs,  his  heart  was 
full  of  the  fell  intention  of  cutting  off  the  whole  white  race. 
Margery  had  first  induced  him  to  think  of  exceptions.  He  had 
early  half-decided  that  she  should  be  spared,  to  be  carrried  to 
his  own  lodge,  as  an  adopted  daughter.  When  he  became 
aware  of  the  state  of  things  between  his  favorite  and  her  lover, 
there  was  a  severe  struggle  in  his  breast  on  the  subject  of  spar- 
ing the  last.  He  saw  how  strongly  the  girl  was  attached  to 
him,  and  something  like  human  sentiments  forced  their  way 
among  his  savage  plans.  The  mysterious  communication  of  le 
Bourdon  with  the  bees,  however,  had  far  more  influence  in  de- 
termining him  to  spare  so  great  a  medicine-man,  than  Marge- 
ry's claims ;  and  he  had  endeavored  to  avail  himself  of  a  mar- 
riage as  a  means  of  saving  the  bride,  instead  of  saving  the 
bridegroom.  All  the  Indians  entertained  a  species  of  awe  for 
le  Bourdon,  and  all  hesitated  about  laying  hands  on  one  who 
appeared  so  gifted.  It  was,  therefore,  the  expectation  of  this 
extraordinary  beiug,  that  the  wife  might  be  permitted  to  escape 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  419 

with  the  husband.  The  effect  of  The  Weasel's  cunning  has  beer 
described.  Such  was  the  state  of  Peter's  mind  when  he  met 
the  band  in  the  scenes  last  described.  There  he  had  been  all 
attention  to  the  demeanor  of  the  missionary.  A  hundred  times 
had  he  seen  warriors  die  uttering  maledictions  on  their  enemies ; 
but  this  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  he  had  ever  known  a 
man  to  use  his  latest  breath  in  asking  for  blessings  on  those 
"who  persecuted  him."  At  first,  Peter  was  astounded.  Then 
the  sublime  principles  had  their  effect,  and  his  heart  was  deeply 
touched  with  what  he  heard.  How  far  the  Holy  Spirit  aided 
these  better  feelings,  it  might  be  presumptuous,  on  the  one  hand, 
to  say ;  while,  on  the  other,  it  will  be  equally  presuming  to 
think  of  denying  the  possibility — nay,  the  probability — that  the 
great  change  which  so  suddenly  came  over  the  heart  of  Peter, 
was  produced  by  more  than  mere  human  agencies.  "We  know 
that  this  blessed  Spirit  is  often  poured  out,  in  especial  cases, 
with  affluent  benevolence,  and  there  can  be  no  sufficient  reason 
for  supposing  this  savage  might  not  have  been  thus  signally  fa- 
vored, as  soon  as  the  avenues  of  his  heart  opened  to  the  im- 
pulses of  a  generous  humanity.  The  very  qualities  that  would 
induce  such  a  being  to  attempt  the  wild  and  visionary  scheme  of 
vengeance  and  retribution,  that  had  now  occupied  his  sleeping 
and  waking  thoughts  for  years,  might,  under  a  better  direction, 
render  him  eminently  fit  to  be  the  subject  of  divine  grace.  A 
latent  sense  of  right  lay  behind  all  his  seeming  barbarity,  and 
that  which  to  us  appears  as  a  fell  ferocity,  was,  in  his  own  eyess 
no  less  than  a  severe  justice. 

The  words,  the  principles,  the  prayers,  and,  more  than  all,  tho 
example  of  the  missionary,  wrought  this  great  change,  so  far  as 
human  agencies  were  employed ;  but  the  power  of  God  was 
necessary  to  carry  out  and  complete  this  renewal  of  the  inner 
man.  We  do  not  mean  that  a  miracle  was  used  in  the  sudden 
conversion  of  this  Indian  to  better  feelings,  for  that  which  is  of 
hourly  occurrence,  and  which  may  happen  to  all,  comes  within 
the  ordinary  workings  of  a  Divine  Providence,  and  cannot  thus 
be  designated  with  propriety;  but  we  do  wish  to  be  understood 


420  THE      OAK     OPENINGS, 

as  saying,  that  no  purely  human  power  could  have  cleared  the 
moral  vision,  changed  all  the  views,  and  softened  the  heart  of 
such  a  man,  as  was  so  promptly  done  in  the  case  of  Peter.  The 
way  had  been  gradually  preparing,  perhaps,  by  the  means  al- 
ready described ;  but  the  great  transformation  came  so  suddenly 
and  so  powerfully,  as  to  render  him  a  different  being,  as  it 
might  almost  be,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye !  Such  changes 
often  occur,  and  though  it  may  suit  the  self-sufficiency  of  the 
worldling  to  deride  them,  he  is  the  wisest  who  submits  in  the 
meekest  spirit  to  powers  that  exceed  his  comprehension. 

In  this  state  of  mind,  then,  Peter  left  the  band  as  soon  as  the 
fate  of  the  missionary  was  decided.  His  immediate  object  was 
to  save  the  whites  who  remained,  Gershom  and  Dorothy  now 
having  a  place  in  his  good  intentions,  as  well  as  le  Bourdon  and 
Margery.  Although  he  moved  swiftly,  and  nearly  by  an  air- 
line, his  thoughts  scarce  kept  company  with  his  feet.  During 
that  rapid  walk,  he  was  haunted  with  the  image  of  a  man, 
dying  while  he  pronounced  benedictions  on  his  enemies ! 

There  was  little  in  common  between  the  natural  objects  of 
that  placid  and  rural  scene,  and  the  fell  passions  that  were  so 
actively  at  work  among  the  savages.  The  whole  of  the  land- 
scape was  bathed  in  the  light  of  a  clear,  warm,  summer's  day. 
These  are  the  times  when  the  earth  truly  seems  a  sanctuary,  in 
spots  remote  from  the  haunts  of  men,  and  least  exposed  to  his 
abuses.  The  bees  hum  around  the  flowers,  the  birds  carol  on 
the  boughs  and  from  amid  their  leafy  arbors,  while  even  the 
leaping  and  shining  waters  appear  to  be  instinct  with  the  life 
that  extols  the  glory  of  God. 

As  for  the  family  near  the  palisaded  hut,  happiness  had  not, 
for  many  a  month,  been  so  seated  among  them,  as  on  this  very 
occasion.  Dorothy  sympathized  truly  in  the  feelings  of  the 
youthful  and  charming  bride,  while  Gershom  had  many  of  the 
kind  and  affectionate  wishes  of  a  brother  in  her  behalf.  The 
last  was  in  his  best  attire,  as  indeed  were  the  females,  who  were 
neatly  though  modestly  clad,  and  Gershom  had  that  air  of  de- 
cent repose  and  of  quiet  enjoyment,  which  is  so  common  of  a 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS*  421 

Sabbath  with  the  men  of  his  class,  among  the  people  from  whom 
he  sprung.  The  fears  lately  excited  were  momentarily  forgotten. 
Every  thing  around  them  wore  an  air  so  placid ;  the  vault  above 
them  was  so  profoundly  tranquil ;  the  light  of  day  was  so  soft 
and  yet  so  bright;  the  Openings  seemed  so  rural  and  so  much 
like  pictures  of  civilization,  that  apprehension  had  been  entirely 
forgotten  in  present  enjoyment.  Such  was  the  moment  when 
Peter  suddenly  stood  before  le  Bourdon  and  Margery,  as  the 
young  couple  sat  beneath  the  shade  of  the  oaks,  near  the  spring. 
One  instant  the  Indian  "'regarded  this  picture  of  young  wedded 
life,  with  a  gleam  of  pleasure  on  his  dark  face ;  then  he  an- 
nounced his  presence  by  speaking. 

"  Can't  sit  here  lookin'  at  young  squaw,"  said  this  literal 
being.  "  Get  up,  and  put  thing  in  canoe.  Time  come  to  go 
on  path  dat  lead  to  pale-face  country." 

"  What  has  happened,  Peter?"  demanded  the  bee-hunter, 
springing  to  his  feet.  "You  come  like  a  runner  rushing  in 
with  his  bad  tidings.  Has  any  thing  happened  to  give  an 
alarm?" 

"Up,  and  off,  tell  you.  No  use  talkin'  now.  Put  all  he- 
can  in  canoe,  and  paddle  away  fast  as  can."  There  was  no 
mistaking  Peter's  manner.  The  bee-hunter  saw  the  useless- 
ness  of  questioning  such  a  man,  at  a  time  like  that,  and  he  called 
to  Gershom  to  join  him. 

"  Here  is  the  chief,  to  warn  us  to  move,"  said  the  bee-hunter, 
endeavoring  to  appear  calm,  in  order  that  he  might  not  need- 
lessly alarm  the  females,  "and  what  he  advises,  we  had  better 
do.  I  know  there  is  danger,  by  what  has  fallen  from  Pigeons- 
wing  as  well  as  from  himself;  so  let  us  lose  no  time,  but  stow 
the  canoes,  and  do  as  he  tells  us." 

As  Gershom  assented,  it  was  not  two  minutes  ere  all  were  at 
work.  For  several  days,  each  canoe  had  been  furnished  with 
provisions  for  a  hasty  flight.  It  remained  only  to  add  such  of 
the  effects  as  were  too  valuable  and  necessary  to  be  abandoned, 
and  which  had  not  been  previously  exposed  without  the  palis- 
ades.    For  half  an  hour  le  Bourdon  and  Gershom  worked  as 


422  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

for  life.  No  questions  were  asked,  nor  was  a  single  moment 
lost,  in  a  desire  to  learn  more.  The  manner  in  which  Peter 
bore  himself,  satisfied  Boden  that  the  emergency  was  pressing, 
and  it  is  seldom  that  more  was  done  by  so  few  hands,  in  so 
short  a  period.  Fortunately,  the  previous  preparation  greatly 
aided  the  present  object,  and  nearly  every  thing  of  any  value 
was  placed  in  the  canoes,  within  the  brief  space  mentioned.  It 
then  became  necessary  to  decide  concerning  the  condition  in 
which  Castle  Meal  was  to  be  left.  Peter  advised  closing  every 
aperture,  shutting  the  gate,  and  leaving  the  dog  within.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  these  expedients  prevented  the  parties  falling 
early  into  the  hands  of  their  enemies ;  for  the  time  lost  by 
the  savages  in  making  their  approaches  to  the  hut,  was  very 
precious  to  the  fugitives. 

Just  as  the  canoes  were  loaded,  Pigeonswing  came  in.  He 
announced  that  the  whole  band  was  in  motion,  and  might  be 
expected  to  reach  the  grove  in  ten  minutes.  Placing  an  arm 
around  the  slender  waist  of  Margery,  le  Bourdon  almost  car- 
ried her  to  his  own  canoe.  Gershom  soon  had  Dorothy  in  his 
little  bark,  while  Peter  entered  that  to  the  ownership  of  which 
he  may  be  said  to  have  justly  succeeded,  by  the  deaths  of  the 
corporal  and  the  missionary.  Pigeonswing  remained  behind, 
in  order  to  act  as  a  scout,  having  first  communicated  to  Peter 
the  course  the  last  ought  to  steer.  Before  the  Chippewa 
plunged  into  the  cover  in  which  it  was  his  intention  to  conceal 
himself,  he  made  a  sign  that  the  band  was  already  in  sight. 

The  heart  of  le  Bourdon  sunk  within  him,  when  he  learned 
how  near  were  the  enemy.  To  him,  escape  seemed  impossible; 
and  he  now  regretted  having  abandoned  the  defences  of  his  late 
residence.  The  river  was  sluggish  for  more  than  a  mile  at  that 
spot,  and  then  occurred  a  rift,  which  could  not  be  passed  with- 
out partly  unloading  the  canoes,  and  where  there  must  neces- 
sarily be  a  detention  of  more  than  an  hour.  Thus,  it  was 
scarcely  possible  for  canoes  descending  that  stream,  to  escape 
from  so  large  a  band  of  pursuers.  The  sinuosities,  themselves, 
would  enable  the  last  to  gain  fifty  points  ahead  of  them,  where 


Til  2      OAK      OPENINGS.  423 

ambushes,  or  even  open  resistance,  must  place  them  altogether 
at  the  mercy  of  the  savages. 

Peter  knew  all  this,  as  well  as  the  bee-hunter,  and  he  had  no 
intention  of  trusting  his  new  friends  in  a  flight  down  the  river. 
Pigeonswing,  with  the  sententious  brevity  of  an  Indian,  had 
made  an  important  communication  to  him,  while  they  were 
moving,  for  the  last  time,  toward  the  canoes,  and  he  now  de- 
termined to  profit  by  it.  Taking  the  lead,  therefore,  with  his 
own  canoe,  Peter  paddled  up,  instead  of  down  the  stream, 
going  in  a  direction  opposite  to  that  which  it  would  naturally 
be  supposed  the  fugitives  had  taken.  In  doing  this,  also,  he 
kept  as  close  under  the  bank  which  would  most  conceal  the 
canoes  from  those  who  approached  it  on  its  southern  side. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  trees  for  the  palisades  had 
been  cut  from  a  swamp,  a  short  distance  above  the  bee-hunter's 
residence.  They  had  grown  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  which 
had  been  found  serviceable  in  floating  the  logs  to  their  point  of 
destination.  The  tops  of  many  of  these  trees,  resinous,  and 
suite  by  their  nature  to  preserve  their  leaves  for  a  considerable 
time,  lay  partly  in  the  stream  and  partly  on  its  banks ;  and 
Pigeonswing,  foreseeing  the  necessity  of  having  a  place  of  ref- 
uge, had  made  so  artful  a  disposition  of  several  of  them,  that, 
while  they  preserved  all  the  appearance  of  still  lying  where 
they  had  fallen,  it  was  possible  to  haul  canoes  up  beneath  them, 
between  the  branches  and  the  bank,  in  a  way  to  form  a  place 
of  perfect  concealment.  No  Indian  would  have  trusted  to  such 
a  hiding-place,  had  it  not  been  matter  of  notoriety  that  the 
trees  had  been  felled  for  a  particular  purpose,  or  had  their  acci- 
dental disposition  along  the  bank  been  discernibly  deranged. 
But  such  was  not  the  case,  the  hand  of  Pigeonswing  having 
been  so  skilfully  employed,  that  what  he  had  done  could  not  be 
detected.  He  might  be  said  to  have  assisted  nature,  instead  of 
disturbing  her. 

The  canoes  were  actually  paddling  close  under  the  bank,  in 
the  Castle  Meal  reach  of  the  river,  when  the  band  arrived  at 
the  grove,  and  commenced  what  might  be  called  the  investment 


424  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

of  tlie  p'ace.  Had  not  all  the  attention  of  the  savages  been 
drawn  toward  the  hut,  it  is  probable  that  some  wandering  eye 
might  have  caught  a  glimpse  of  some  one  of  them,  as  inequali- 
ties in  the  bank  momentarily  exposed  each,  in  succession,  to 
view.  This  danger,  however,  passed  away,  and  by  turning  a 
point,  the  fugitives  were  effectually  concealed  from  all  who  did 
not  actually  approach  the  river  at  that  particular  point.  Here 
it  was,  however,  that  the  swamp  commenced,  and  the  ground 
being  wet  and  difficult,  no  one  would  be  likely  to  do  this. 
The  stream  flowed  through  this  swamp,  having  a  dense  wood 
on  each  side,  though  one  of  no  great  extent.  The  reach,  more- 
over, was  short,  making  a  completely  sheltered  haven  of  the 
Kalamazoo,  within  its  limits. 

Once  in  this  wooded  reach,  Peter  tossed  an  arm,  and  assumed 
an  air  of  greater  security.  He  felt  infinitely  relieved,  and  knew 
that  they  were  safe,  for  a  time,  unless  some  wanderer  should 
have  taken  to  the  swamp — a  most  improbable  thing  of  itself. 
When  high  enough,  he  led  the  way  across  the  stream,  and, 
entering  below,  he  soon  had  all  the  canoes  in  their  place  of  con- 
cealment. 

"Dis  good  place,"  observed  the  great  chief,  as  soon  as  all 
were  fast ;  "  bess  take  care,  dough.  Bess  not  make  track  too 
much  on  land ;  Injin  got  sharp  eye,  and  see  ebbery  t'ing.  Now, 
I  go  and  talk  wid  chief.  Come  back  by-'em-by.  You  stay 
here.     Good-bye." 

"  Stop,  Peter — one  word  before  we  part.  If  you  see  Parson 
Amen,  or  the  corporal,  it  might  be  well  to  tell  them  where  we 
are  to  be  found.     They  would  be  glad  to  know." 

Peter  looked  grave ;  even  sad.  He  did  not  answer  for  fully 
a  minute.  When  he  did,  it  was  in  a  low,  suppressed  voice, 
such  as  one  is  apt  to  use  when  there  is  a  weight  felt  on  his 
mind. 

"  Nebber  know  any  t'ing  ag'in,"  returned  the  chief.  "  Both 
dem  pale-face  dead." 

"Dead!"  echoed  all  within  hearing. 

"  Juss  so;  Injin  kill  him.     Mean  to  kill  you,  too — dat  why 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  425 

I  run  away.  Saw  medicine-priest  die.  What  you  t'ink,  Blos- 
som ? — What  you  t'ink,  Bourdon  ? — Dat  man  die  asking  Great 
Spirit  to  do  good  to  Injin !" 

"I  can  believe  it,  Peter,  for  he  was  a  good  man,  and  such 
are  our  Christian  laws,  though  few  of  us  obey  them.  I  can 
easily  believe  that  Parson  Amen  was  an  exception,  however." 

"  Yes,  Peter,  such  arc  our  Christian  laws,"  put  in  Margery, 
earnestly.  "  When  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  came  on  earth  to 
redeem  lost  men,  he  commanded  his  followers  to  do  good  to 
them  that  did  evil  to  us,  and  to  pray  for  them  that  tried  to 
harm  us.     We  have  his  very  words,  written  in  our  bibles." 

"  You  got  him — "  said  Peter,  with  interest.  "  See  you  read 
him,  of  en.     Got  dat  book  here  ?" 

"To  be  sure  I  have — it  is  the  last  thing  I  should  have  for- 
gotten. Dolly  has  one,  and  I  have  another ;  we  read  in  them 
every  day,  and  we  hope  that,  before  long,  brother  and  Bourdon 
will  read  in  them,  too." 

"  Why,  I'm  no  great  scholar,  Margery,"  returned  her  hus- 
band, scratching  his  full,  curling  head  of  hair,  out  of  pure  awk- 
wardness ;  "to  please  you,  however,  I'd  undertake  even  a  harder 
job.  It  was  so  with  the  bees,  when  I  began  ;  I  thought  I 
should  never  succeed  in  lining  the  first  bee  to  his  hive ;  but, 
since  that  time,  I  do  think  I've  lined  a  thousand  !" 

"It's  easy,  it's  easy,  dear  Benjamin,  if  you  will  only  make  a 
beginning,"  returned  the  much  interested  young  wife.  "  When 
we  get  to  a  place  of  safety,  if  it  be  God's  will  that  we  ever  shall, 
I  hope  to  have  you  join  me  in  reading  the  good  book,  daily. 
See,  Peter,  I  keep  it  in  this  little  bag,  where  it  is  safe,  and 
always  at  hand." 

"  You  read  dem  word  for  me,  Blossom  :  I  want  to  hear  him, 
out  of  dis  book,  himself." 

Margery  did  as  he  desired.  She  was  very  familiar  with  the 
New  Testament,  and,  turning  to  the  well-known  and  God-like 
passage,  she  read  several  verses,  in  a  steady,  earnest  voice. 
Perhaps  the  danger  they  were  in,  and  the  recent  communication 
of  the  death  of  their  late  companions,  increased  her  earnestness 


426  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

and  solemnity  of  manner,  for  the  effect  produced  on  Peter  was 
scarcely  less  than  that  he  had  felt  when  he  witnessed  a  practical 
obedience  to  these  sublime  principles,  in  the  death  of  the  mis- 
sionary. Tears  actually  started  to  this  stern  savage's  eyes,  and 
he  looked  back  on  his  late  projects  and  endeavors  to  immolate 
a  whole  race,  with  a  shudder.  Taking  Margery's  hand,  he 
courteously  thanked  her,  and  prepared  to  quit  the  place.  Pre- 
viously to  leaving  his  friends,  however,  Peter  gave  a  brief  ac- 
count of  the  manner  of  the  missionary's  death,  and  of  the  state 
in  which  he  had  left  the  corporal.  Pigeonswing  had  told  him 
of  the  fate  of  the  last,  as  well  as  of  the  eagerness  with  which 
the  band  had  set  out  in  quest  of  more  white  scalps. 

" Peter,  we  can  count  on  you  for  a  friend,  I  hope?"  said 
the  bee-hunter,  as  the  two  were  about  to  part,  on  the  bank  of 
the  river.     u  I  fear  you  were,  once,  our  enemy  !" 

"Bourdon,"  said  Peter,  with  dignity,  and  speaking  in  the 
language  of  his  own  people,  "  listen.  There  are  Good  Spirits, 
and  there  are  Bad  Spirits.  Our  traditions  tell  us  this.  Our 
own  minds  tell  us  this,  too.  For  twenty  winters  a  Bad  Spirit 
has  been  whispering  in  my  ear.  I  listened  to  him  ;  and  did 
what  he  told  me  to  do.  I  believed  what  he  said.  His  words 
were — 'Kill  your  enemies — scalp  all  the  pale-faces — do  not 
leave  a  squaw,  or  a  pappoose.  Make  all  their  hearts  heavy. 
This  is  what  an  Injin  should  do.'  So  has  the  Bad  Spirit  been 
whispering  to  me,  for  twenty  winters.  I  listened  to  him.  What 
he  said,  I  did.  It  was  pleasant  to  me  to  take  the  scalps  of  the 
pale-faces.  It  was  pleasant  to  think  that  no  more  scalps  would 
be  left  among  them,  to  take.     I  was  Scalping  Peter. 

"  Bourdon ;  the  Good  Spirit  has,  at  last,  made  himself  heard. 
His  whisper  is  so  low,  that  at  first  my  cars  did  not  hear  him. 
They  hear  him  now.  When  he  spoke  loudest,  it  was  with  the 
tongue  of  the  medicine-priest  of  your  people.  He  was  about 
to  die.  When  we  are  about  to  die,  our  voices  become  strong 
and  clear.  So  do  our  eyes.  We  see  what  is  before,  and  Ave 
see  what  is  behind.  We  feel  joy  for  what  is  before — we  feel 
sorrow  for  what  is  behind.     Your  medicine-priest  spoke  well. 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  427 

It  sounded  in  my  ears  as  if  the  Great  Spirit,  himself,  was  talk- 
ing. They  say  it  was  his  Son.  I  believe  them.  Blossom  has 
read  to  me  out  of  the  good  book  of  your  people,  and  I  find  it  is 
so.  I  feel  like  a  child,  and  could  sit  down,  in  my  wigwam,  and 
weep. 

" Bourdon;  you  are  a  pale-face,  and  I  am  an  Injin.  You 
are  strong,  and  I  am  weak.  This  is  because  the  Son  of  the 
Great  Spirit  has  talked  with  your  people,  and  has  not  talked 
with  mine.  I  now  see  why  the  pale-faces  overrun  the  earth 
and  take  the  hunting-grounds.  They  know  most,  and  have 
been  told  to  come  here,  and  to  tell  what  they  know  to  the  poor 
ignorant  Injins.  I  hope  my  people  will  listen.  What  the  Son 
of  the  Great  Spirit  says  must  be  true.  He  does  not  know  how 
to  do  wrong. 

"Bourdon;  once  it  seemed  sweet  to  me  to  take  the  scalps 
of  my  enemies.  When  an  Injin  did  me  harm,  I  took  his  scalp. 
This  was  my  way.  I  could  not  help  it,  then.  The  Wicked 
Spirit  told  me  to  do  this.  The  Son  of  the  Manitou  has  now 
told  me  better.  I  have  lived  under  a  cloud.  The  breath  of 
the  dying  medicine-priest  of  your  people  has  blown  away  that 
cloud.  I  see  clearer.  I  hear  him  telling  the  Manitou  to  do 
me  good,  though  I  wanted  his  scalp.  He  was  answered  in  my 
heart.  Then  my  ears  opened  wider,  and  I  heard  what  the 
Good  Spirit  whispered.  The  ear  in  which  the  Bad  Spirit  had 
been  talking  for  twenty  winters  shut,  and  was  deaf.  I  hear 
him  no  more.  I  do  not  want  to  hear  him  again.  The  whisper 
of  the  Son  of  the  Manitou  is  very  pleasant  to  me.  It  sounds 
like  the  wren  singing  his  sweetest  song.  I  hope  he  will  always 
whisper  so.     My  ear  shall  never  again  be  shut  to  his  words. 

"Bourdon;  it  is  pleasant  to  me  to  look  forward.  It  is  not 
pleasant  to  me  to  look  back.  I  see  how  many  things  I  have 
done  in  one  way,  that  ought  to  have  been  done  in  another  way. 
I  feel  sorry ;  and  wish  it  had  not  been  so.  Then  I  hear  the 
Son  of  the  Manitou  asking  His  Father,  who  liveth  above  the 
clouds,  to  do  good  to  the  Jews  who  took  his  life.  I  do  not 
think  Injins  are  Jews.     In  this,  my  brother  was  wrong.    It  was 


428  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

his  own  notion,  and  it  is  easy  for  a  man  to  think  wrong.  It  is 
not  so  with  the  Son  of  the  Manitou.  He  thinketh  always  as 
His  Father  thinketh,  which  is  right. 

"  Bonrdon ;  I  am  no  longer  Peter — *I  mnst  he  another  Injin. 
I  do  not  feel  the  same.  A  scalp  is  a  terrible  thing  in  my  eyes 
— I  wish  never  to  take  another — never  to  see  another — a  scalp 
is  a  bad  thing.  I  now  love  the  Yankees.  I  wish  to  do  them  good, 
and  not  to  do  them  harm.  I  love  most  the  Great  Spirit,  that 
let  his  own  Son  die  for  all  men.  The  medicine-priest  said  he 
died  for  Injins,  as  well  as  for  pale-faces.  This  we  did  not  know, 
or  wo  should  have  talked  of  him  more  in  our  traditions.  We 
love  to  talk  of  good  acts.  But  we  are  such  ignorant  Injins ! 
The  Son  of  the  Manitou  will  have  pity  on  us,  and  tell  us  oftener 
what  we  ought  to  do.  In  time,  we  shall  learn.  Now,  I  feel 
like  a  child :  I  hope  I  shall  one  day  be  a  man." 

Having  made  this  "  confession  of  faith,"  one  that  would  have 
done  credit  to  a  Christian  church,  Peter  shook  the  bee-hunter 
kindly  by  the  hand,  and  took  his  departure.  He  did  not  walk 
into  the  swamp,  though  it  was  practicable  with  sufficient  care, 
but  he  stepped  into  the  river,  and  followed  its  margin,  knowing 
that  "  water  leaves  no  trail !"  Nor  did  Peter  follow  the  direct 
route  toward  the  now  blazing  hut,  the  smoke  from  which  wTas 
rising  high  above  the  trees,  but  he  ascended  the  stream,  until 
reaching  a  favorable  spot,  he  threw  aside  all  of  his  light  dress, 
made  it  into  a  bundle,  and  swam  across  the  Kalamazoo,  hold- 
ing his  clothes  above  the  element  with  one  hand.  On  reaching 
the  opposite  shore,  he  moved  on  to  the  upper  margin  of  the 
swamp,  where  he  resumed  his  clothes.  Then  he  issued  into 
the  Openings,  carrying  neither  rifle,  bow,  tomahawk,  nor  knife. 
All  his  weapons  he  had  left  in  his  canoe,  fearful  that  they  might 
tempt  him  to  do  evil,  instead  of  good,  to  his  enemies.  Neither 
Bear's  Meat,  nor  Bough  of  the  Oak,  was  yet  regarded  by  Peter 
with  the  eye.  of  love.  He  tried  not  to  hate  them,  and  this  he 
found  sufficiently  difficult ;  conscious  of  this  difficulty,  he  had 
laid  aside  his  arms,  accordingly.  This  mighty  change  had  been 
gradually  in  progress,  ever  since  the  chiefs  close  communication 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  429 

with  Margery,  but  it  had  received  its  consummation  in  the  last 
acts,  and  last  words,  of  the  missionary ! 

Having  got  out  into  the  Openings,  it  was  not  difficult  for 
Peter  to  join  his  late  companions,  without  attracting  observa- 
tion from  whence  he  came.  He  kept  as  much  under  cover  as 
was  convenient,  and  reached  the  kitchen,  just  as  the  band 
broke  into  the  defences,  and  burst  open  the  door  of  the  blazing, 
and  already  roofless  hut.  Here  Peter  paused,  unwilling  to  seem 
inactive  in  such  a  scene,  yet  averse  to  doing  any  thing  that  a 
sensitively  tender  conscience  might  tell  him  was  wrong.  He 
knew  there  was  no  human  being  there  to  save,  and  cared  little 
for  the  few  effects  that  might  be  destroyed.  He  did  not  join 
the  crowd,  therefore,  until  it  was  ascertained  that  the  bee-hunter 
and  his  companion  had  escaped. 

"  The  pale-faces  have  fled,"  said  Bear's  Meat  to  the  great 
chief,  when  the  last  did  approach  him.  "  We  have  looked  for 
their  bones  among  the  ashes,  but  there  are  none.  That  medi- 
cine-bee-hunter has  told  them  that  their  scalps  were  wanted, 
and  they  have  gone  off!" 

"  Have  any  of  the  young  men  been  down  to  the  river,  to 
look  for  their  canoes  ?"  quietly  demanded  Peter.  "  If  the  ca- 
noes are  gone,  too,  they  have  taken  the  route  toward  the  Great 
Lake." 

This  was  so  obvious  and  probable,  that  a  search  was  immedi- 
ately set  on  foot.  The  report  was  soon  made,  and  great  was 
the  eagerness  to  pursue.  The  Kalamazoo  was  so  crooked,  that 
no  one  there  doubted  of  overtaking  the  fugitives,  and  parties 
were  immediately  organized  for  the  chase.  This  was  done  with 
the  customary  intelligence  and  shrewdness  of  Indians.  The 
canoes  that  belonged  to  Crowsfeather  and  his  band  had  been 
brought  up  the  river,  and  they  lay  concealed  in  rushes,  not  a 
mile  from  the  hut.  A  party  of  warriors  brought  them  to  the 
landing,  and  they  carried  one  division  of  the  party  to  the  oppo- 
site shore,  it  being  the  plan  to  follow  each  bank  of  the  river, 
keeping  close  to  the  stream,  even  to  its  mouth,  should  it  prove 
necessary.      Two  other  parties  were  sent. in  direct  lines,  one  on 


430  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

each  side  of  the  river,  also,  to  lay  in  ambush  at  such  distant 
points,  ahead,  as  would  be  almost  certain  to  anticipate  the  arri- 
val of  the  fugitives.  The  canoes  were  sent  down  the  stream, 
to  close  the  net  against  return,  while  Bear's  Meat,  Bough  of  the 
Oak,  Crowsfeather,  and  several  others  of  the  leading  chiefs,  re- 
mained near  the  still  burning  hut,  with  a  strong  party,  to  ex- 
amine the  surrounding  Openings  for  foot-prints  and  trails.  It 
was  possible  that  the  canoes  had  been  sent  adrift,  in  order  to 
mislead  them,  while  the  pale-faces  had  fled  by  land. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  Openings  had  a  beautiful  sward, 
near  Castle  Meal.  This  was  true  of  that  particular  spot,  and 
was  the  reason  why  le  Bourdon  had  selected  it  for  his  principal 
place  of  residence.  The  abundance  of  flowers  drew  the  bees 
there,  a  reason  of  itself  why  he  should  like  the  vicinity.  Lest 
the  reader  should  be  misled,  however,  it  may  be  well  to  explain 
that  an  absence  of  sward  is  characteristic  of  these  Openings, 
rather  than  the  reverse,  it  being,  to  a  certain  degree,  a  cause  of 
complaint,  now  that  the  country  is  settled,  that  the  lands  of  the 
Oak  Openings  are  apt  to  be  so  light  that  the  grasses  do  not 
readily  form  as  firm  a  turf  as  is  desirable  for  meadows  and  pas- 
tures. We  apprehend  this  is  true,  however,  less  as  a  rule  than 
as  exceptions ;  there  being  variety  in  the  soils  of  these  Open- 
ings, as  well  as  in  other  quarters. 

Nevertheless,  the  savages  were  aware  that  the  country  around 
the  burned  hut,  for  a  considerable  extent,  differed,  in  this  par- 
ticular, from  most  of  that  which  lay  farther  east,  or  more  inland. 
On  the  last  a  trail  would  be  much  more  easily  detected  than  on 
the  first,  and  a  party,  under  the  direction  of  a  particularly  ex- 
perienced leader,  was  dispatched  several  miles  to  the  eastward, 
to  look  for  the  usual  signs  of  the  passage  of  any  toward  Detroit, 
taking  that  route.  This  last  expedient  troubled  Peter  exceed- 
ingly, since  it  placed  a  body  of  enemies  in  the  rear  of  the  fugi- 
tives ;  thereby  rendering  their  position  doubly  perilous.  There 
was  no  help  for  the  difficulty,  however ;  and  the  great  chief  saw 
the  party  depart  without  venturing  on  remonstrance,  advice,  or 
any  other  expedient  to  arrest  the  movement.     Bear's  Meat  now 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  431 

called  the  head  chiefs,  who  remained,  into  a  circle,  and  asked 
for  opinions  concerning  the  course  that  ought  next  to  be  taken. 

" What  does  my  brother,  the  tribeless  chief,  say?"  he  asked, 
looking  at  Peter,  in  a  way  to  denote  the  expectation  which  all 
felt,  that  he  ought  to  be  able  to  give  useful  counsel  in  such  a 
strait.  "  We  have  got  but  two  scalps  from  six  heads ;  and  one 
of  them  is  buried  with  the  medicine -priest." 

"  Scalps  cannot  be  taken  from  them  that  get  off,"  returned 
Peter,  evasively.  "  We  must  first  catch  these  pale-faces.  When 
they  are  found  it  will  be  easy  to  scalp  them.  If  the  canoes  are 
gone,  I  think  the  medicine-bee-hunter  and  his  squaws  have  gone 
in  them.     We  may  find  the  whole  down  the  river." 

To  this  opinion  most  of  the  chiefs  assented,  though  the 
course  of  examining  for  a  trail  farther  east  was  still  approved. 
The  band  was  so  strong,  while  the  pale-faces  were  so  few,  that 
a  distribution  of  their  own  force  was  of  no  consequence,  and  it 
was  clearly  the  most  prudent  to  send  out  young  men  in  all  di- 
rections. Every  one,  however,  expected  that  the  fugitives 
would  be  overtaken  on,  or  near,  the  river,  and  Bear's  Meat 
suggested  the  propriety  of  their  moving  down  stream,  them- 
selves, very  shortly. 

"  When  did  my  brother  last  see  the  pale-faces  jj"  asked  Crows- 
feather.  "  This  bee-hunter  knows  the  river  well,  and  may  have 
started  yesterday ;  or  even  after  he  came  from  the  Great  Coun- 
cil of  the  Prairie. " 

This  was  a  new  idea,  but  one  that  seemed  probable  enough. 
All  eyes  turned  toward  Peter,  who  saw,  at  once,  that  such  a 
notion  must  greatly  favor  the  security  of  the  fugitives,  and  felt 
a  strong  desire  to  encourage  it.  He  found  evasion  difficult, 
however,  and  well  knew  the  danger  of  committing  himself.  In- 
stead of  giving  a  straight-forward  answer,  therefore,  he  had  re- 
course to  circumlocution  and  subterfuge. 

"  My  brother  is  right,"  he  answered.  "The  pale-faces  have 
had  time  to  get  far  down  the  stream.  As  my  brothers  know,  I 
slept  among  them  at  the  Round  Prairie.  To-day,  they  know  I 
was  with  them  at  the  council  of  the  spring  of  gushing  waters." 


432  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

All  this  was  true,  as  far  as  it  went,  although  the  omissions 
were  very  material.  No  one  seemed  to  suspect  the  great  chief, 
whose  fidelity  to  his  own  principles  was  believed  to  be  of  a 
character  amounting  to  enthusiasm.  Little  did  any  there  know 
of  the  power  of  the  unseen  Spirit  of  God  to  alter  the  heart, 
producing  what  religionists  term  the  new  birth.  We  do  not 
wish,  however,  to  be  understood  that  Peter  had,  as  yet,  fully 
experienced  this  vast  change.  It  is  not  often  the  work  of  a 
moment,  though  well-authenticated  modern  instances  do  exist, 
in  which  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  men  have  been 
made  to  see  and  feel  the  truth  almost  as  miraculously  as  was  St. 
Paul  himself.  As  for  this  extraordinary  savage,  he  had  entered 
into  the  strait  and  narrow  way,  though  he  was  not  far  advanced 
on  its  difficult  path. 

When  men  tell  us  of  the  great  progress  that  the  race  is  mak- 
ing toward  perfection,  and  point  to  the  acts  which  denote  its 
wisdom,  its  power  to  control  its  own  affairs,  its  tendencies  to- 
ward good  when  most  left  to  its  own  self-control,  our  minds  are 
filled  with  scepticism.  The  every-day  experience  of  a  life  now 
fast  verging  toward  threescore,  contradicts  the  theory  and  the 
facts.  We  believe  not  in  the  possibility  of  man's  becoming 
even  a  strictly  rational  being,  unaided  by  a  power  from  on  high ; 
and  all  that  we  have  seen  and  read,  goes  to  convince  us  that  he 
is  most  of  a  philosopher,  the  most  accurate  judge  of  his  real 
state,  the  most  truly  learned,  who  most  vividly  sees  the  neces- 
sity of  falling  back  on  the  precepts  of  revelation  for  all  his  high- 
er principles  and  practice.  We  conceive  that  this  mighty  truth 
furnishes  unanswerable  proof  of  the  unceasing  agency  of  a  Provi- 
dence, and  wdien  we  once  admit  this,  we  concede  that  our 
own  powers  are  insufficient  for  our  own  wants. 

That  the  world,  as  a  whole,  is  advancing  toward  a  better 
state  of  things,  we  as  firmly  believe  as  we  do  that  it  is  by  ways 
that  have  not  been  foreseen  by  man  ;  and  that,  whenever  the 
last  has  been  made  the  agent  of  producing  portions  of  this  im- 
provement, it  has  oftener  been  without  design,  or  calculation, 
than  with  it.     Who,  for  instance,  supposes  that  the  institutions 


IDE      OAK      OPENINGS.  433 

of  this  country,  of  which  we  boast  so  much,  could  have  stood 
as  long  as  they  have,  without  the  conservative  principles  that 
are  to  be  found  in  the  Union  :  and  who  is  there  so  vain  as  to 
ascribe  the  overshadowing  influence  of  this  last  great  power  to 
any  wisdom  in  man  ?  We  all  know  that  perfectly  fortuitous 
circumstances,  or  what  appear  to  us  to  be  such,  produced  the 
Federal  Government,  and  that  its  strongest  and  least  exception- 
able features  are  precisely  those  which  could  not  be  withstood, 
much  less  invented,  as  parts  of  the  theory  of  a  polity. 

A  great  and  spasmodic  political  movement  is,  at  this  moment, 
convulsing  Christendom.  That  good  will  come  of  it,  we  think 
is  beyond  a  question ;  but  we  greatly  doubt  whether  it  will 
come  in  the  particular  form,  or  by  the  specified  agencies  that 
human  calculations  wrould  lead  us  to  expect.  It  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  the  previous  preparation,  which  has  induced  the 
present  efforts,  are  rather  in  opposition  to,  than  the  conse- 
quences of,  calculated  agencies ;  overturning  in  their  progress 
the  very  safeguards  which  the  sagacity  of  men  had  interposed 
to  the  advance  of  those  very  opinions  that  have  been  silently, 
and  by  means  that  would  perhaps  baffle  enquiry,  preparing  the 
way  for  the  results  that  have  been  so  suddenly  and  unexpect- 
edly obtained.  If  the  course  is  onward,  it  is  more  as  the  will 
of  God,  than  from  any  calculations  of  man ;  and  it  is  when  the 
last  are  the  most  active,  that  there  is  the  greatest  reason  to  ap- 
prehend the  consequences. 

Of  such  a  dispensation  of  the  Providence  of  Almighty  God, 
do  we  believe  Peter  to  have  been  the  subject.  Among  the 
thousand  ways  that  are  employed  to  touch  the  heart,  he  had 
been  most  affected  by  the  sight  of  a  dying  man's  asking  bene- 
dictions on  his  enemies!  It  was  assailing  his  besetting  sin  ;  at- 
tacking the  very  citadel  of  his  savage  character,  and  throwing 
open,  at  once,  an  approach  into  the  deepest  recesses  of  his 
habits  and  dispositions.  It  was  like  placing  a  master-key  in 
the  hands  of  him  who  would  go  through  the  whole  tenement, 
for  the  purpose  of  purifying  it. 
19 


AQA 

THE      OAK      OPENING*?, 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

"Thou  to  whom  every  faun  and  satyr  flies 
For  willing  service ;  whether  to  surprise 
The  squatted  hare,  while  in  half  sleeping  fits, 
Or  upward  ragged  precipices  flit 
To  save  poor  lambkins  from  the  eagle's  maw ; 
Or  by  mysterious  enticement  draw 
Bewildered  shepherds  to  their  path  again ;— " 

Keats. 

It  can  easily  be  understood  that  the  party  with  the  canoes 
were  left  by  Peter  in  a  state  of  great  anxiety.  The  distance  be- 
tween the  site  of  the  hut  and  their  place  of  concealment  was 
but  little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  the  yell  of  the  sav- 
ages had  often  reached  their  ears,  notwithstanding  the  cover  of 
the  woods.  This  proximity,  of  itself,  was  fearful ;  but  the  uncer- 
tainty that  le  Bourdon  felt  on  the  subject  of  Peter's  real  inten- 
tions, added  greatly  to  his  causes  of  concern.  Of  course,  he  knew 
but  little  of  the  sudden  change  that  had  come  over  this  mysterious 
chief's  feelings;  nor  is  it  very  likely  that  he  would  have  been 
able  to  appreciate  it,  even  had  the  fact  been  more  fully  stated. 
Our  hero  had  very  little  acquaintance  with  the  dogmas  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  would  have,  most  probably,  deemed  it  impossible 
that  so  great  a  revolution  of  purpose  could  have  been  so  sud- 
denly wrought  in  the  mind  of  man,  had  the  true  state  of  the  case 
been  communicated  to  him.  He  would  have  been  ready  enough 
to  allow  that,  with  God,  nothing  is  impossible  ;  but  might  have 
been  disposed  to  deny  the  influence  of  His  Holy  Spirit,  as  ex- 
hibited in  this  particular  form,  for  a  reason  no  better  than  the 
circumstance  that  he  himself  had  never  been  the  subject  of  such 
a  power.     All  that  Peter  had  said,  therefore,  served  rather  to 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  435 

mystify  him,  than  to  explain,  in  its  true  colors,  what  had 
actually  occurred.  With  Margery  it  was  different.  Her  school- 
ing had  been  far  better  than  that  of  any  other  of  the  party,  and, 
while  she  admired  the  manly  appearance,  and  loved  the  free, 
generous  character  of  her  husband,  she  had  more  than  onco 
felt  pained  at  the  passing  thoughts  of  his  great  indifference  to 
sacred  things.  This  feeling  in  le  Bourdon,  however,  was  pas- 
sive rather  than  active,  and  gave  her  a  kind  interest  in  his 
future  welfare,  rather  than  any  present  pain  through  acts  and 
words. 

But,  as  respects  their  confidence  in  Peter,  this  young  couple 
were  much  farther  apart  than  in  their  religious  notions.  The 
bee-hunter  had  never  been  without  distrust,  though  his  appre- 
hensions had  been  occasionally  so  far  quieted  as  to  leave  him 
nearly  free  of  them  altogether  ;  while  his  wife  had  felt  the  utmost 
confidence  in  the  chief,  from  the  very  commencement  of  their 
acquaintance.  It  would  be  useless,  perhaps,  to  attempt  to  spec- 
ulate on  the  causes ;  but  it  is  certain  that  there  are  secret 
sources  of  sympathy  that  draw  particular  individuals  toward 
each  other,  and  antipathies  that  keep  them  widely  separated. 
Men  shall  meet  for  the  first  time,  and  feel  themselves  attracted 
toward  each  other,  like  two  drops  of  water,  or  repelled,  like  the 
corks  of  an  electric  machine. 

The  former  had  been  the  case  with  Peter  and  Margery. 
They  liked  each  other  from  the  first,  and  kind  offices  had  soon 
come  to  increase  this  feeling.  The  girl  had  now  seen  so  much 
of  the  Indians,  as  to  regard  them  much  as  she  did  others,  or 
with  the  discriminations,  and  tastes,  or  distastes,  with  which  we 
all  regard  our  fellow-creatures ;  feeling  no  particular  cause  of 
estrangement.  It  is  true,  that  Margery  would  not  have  been 
very  likely  to  fall  in  love  with  a  young  Indian,  had  one  come 
in  her  way  of  a  suitable  age  and  character ;  for  her  American 
notions  on  the  subject  of  color  might  have  interposed  difficul- 
ties ;  but,  apart  from  the  tender  sentiments,  she  could  see  good 
and  bad  qualities  in  one  of  the  aborigines,  as  well  as  in  a  white 
man.     As  a  consequence  of  this  sympathy  between  Peter  and 


436  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Margery,  the  last  had  ever  felt  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  pro- 
tection and  friendship  of  the  first.  This  she  did,  even  while  the 
struggle  was  going  on  in  his  breast  on  the  subject  of  including 
her  in  his  fell  designs,  or  of  making  an  exception  in  her  favor. 
It  shows  the  waywardness  of  our  feelings,  that  Margery  had 
never  reposed  confidence  in  Pigeonswing,  who  was  devotedly 
the  friend  of  le  Bourdon,  and  who  remained  with  them  for  no 
other  reason  than  a  general  wish  to  be  of  use.  Something 
brusque  in  his  manner,  which  was  much  less  courteous  and  pol- 
ished than  that  of  Peter,  had  early  rendered  her  dissatisfied 
with  him,  and  once  estranged,  she  had  never  felt  disposed  to  be 
on  terms  of  intimacy,  sufficient  to  ascertain  his  good  or  bad 
qualities. 

The  great  change  of  feeling  in  Peter  was  not  very  clearly  un- 
derstood by  Margery,  any  more  than  it  was  by  her  husband ; 
though,  had  her  attention  been  drawn  more  strictly  to  it,  she 
would  have  best  known  how  to  appreciate  it.  But  this  knowl- 
edge was  not  wanting  to  put  her  perfectly  at  peace,  so  far  as 
apprehensions  of  his  doing  her  harm  were  concerned.  This 
sense  of  security  she  now  manifested  in  a  conversation  with  le 
Bourdon,  thai  took  place  soon  after  Peter  had  left  them. 

"  I  wish  we  weren't  in  the  hands  of  this  red-skin,  Margery," 
said  her  husband,  a  little  more  off  his  guard  than  was  his  wont. 

"  Of  Peter!  You  surprise  me,  Benjamin.  I  think  we  could 
not  be  in  better  hands,  since  we  have  got  this  risk  to  run  with 
the  savages.  If  it  was  Pigeonswing  that  you  feared,  I  could 
understand  it." 

"I  will  answer  for  Pigeonswing  with  my  life." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  for  /  do  not  half  like  him. 
Perhaps  I  am  prejudiced  against  him.  The  scalp  he  took  down 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  set  me  against  him  from  the  first." 

"Do  you  not  know,  Margery,  that  your  great  friend  goes  by 
the  name  of  '  Scalping  Peter'  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  know  it  very  well;  but  I  do  not  believe  he  ever  took 
a  scalp  in  his  life." 

"Did  he  ever  tell  you  as  much  as  that?" 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  437 

"  I  can 't  Bay  that  he  did ;  but  he  has  never  paraded  any  thing 
of  the  sort  before  my  eyes,  like  Pigeonswing.  I  do  not  half 
like  that  Chippewa,  dear  Bourdon." 

"  No  fear  of  him,  Margery ;  nor,  when  I  come  to  think  it 
all  over,  do  I  see  why  Peter  should  have  brought  us  here,  if  he 
means  any  thing  wrong.  The  man  is  so  mysterious,  that  I  can- 
not line  him  down  to  his  hole." 

"  My  word  for  it,  Bourdon,  that  when  you  do,  it  will  take  you 
to  a  friendly  hive.  I  have  put  almost  as  much  faith  in  Peter  as 
in  you  or  Gershom.  You  heard  what  he  said  about  Parson 
Amen  and  the  corporal." 

"  And  how  coolly  he  took  it  all,"  answered  her  husband,  shak- 
ing his  head.  "  It  has  been  a  sudden  departure  for  them,  and 
one  would  think  even  an  Injin  might  have  felt  it  more." 

Margery's  cheek  grew  pale,  and  her  limbs  trembled  a  little. 
It  was  a  minute  ere  she  could  pursue  the  discourse. 

"  This  is  terrible,  but  I  will  not,  cannot  believe  it,"  she  said. 
"  I  'm  sure,  Bourdon,  we  ought  to  be  very  thankful  to  Peter  for 
having  brought  us  here.  Kemember  how  earnestly  he  listened 
to  the  words  of  the  Saviour." 

"If  he  has  brought  us  here  with  a  good  intention,  I  thank 
him  for  it.  But  I  scarce  know  what  to  think.  Pigeonswing 
has  given  me  many  a  hint,  which  I  have  understood  to  mean 
that  we  ought  not  to  trust  this  unknown  Injin  too  much." 

"So  has  he  given  me  some  of  his  hints,  though  I  would 
sooner  trust  Peter  than  trust  him,  any  time." 

"Our  lives  are  in  the  care  of  Providence,  I  see.  If  we  can 
really  rely  on  these  two  Injins,  all  may  be  well ;  for  Peter  has 
brought  us  to  an  admirable  cover,  and  he  says  that  the  Chip- 
pewa prepared  it." 

The  young  husband  and  his  wife  now  landed,  and  began  to 
examine  more  particularly  into  the  state  of  the  swamp,  near 
their  place  of  concealment.  Just  at  that  spot,  the  bank  of  the 
river  was  higher  than  in  most  of  the  low  land,  and  was  dry,  with 
a  soil  that  approached  sand.  This  was  the  place  where  the  few 
young  pines  had  grown.     The  dry  ground  might  have  covered 


438  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

four  or  five  acres,  and  so  many  trees  Laving  been  felled,  liglit 
and  air  were  admitted,  in  a  way  to  render  tlie  place  compara 
tively  cLeerful.  TLe  brandies  of  the  felled  trees  made  a  suffi- 
cient cover  in  all  directions,  tliougL  the  swamp  itself  was  more 
than  that,  almost  a  defence,  toward  tLe  Openings.  TLe  bee- 
Lunter  found  it  was  possible,  tbougL  it  was  exceedingly  difficult, 
to  make  Lis  way  tlirougli  it.  He  ascertained  tLe  fact,  Low- 
ever,  since  it  miglit  be  important  to  their  future  movements  to 
know  it. 

In  a  word,  le  Bourdon  made  a  complete  reconnaissance  of  Lis 
position.  He  cleared  a  spot  for  tLe  females,  and  made  a  sort 
of  Lut,  tLat  would  serve  as  a  protection  against  rain,  and  in 
wLicL  they  all  migLt  sleep  at  nigLt.  TLere  was  little  doubt 
tLat  tLis  place  must  be  occupied  for  some  days,  if  Peter  was 
acting  in  good  faith,  since  an  early  movement  would  infallibly 
lead  to  detection.  Time  must  be  given  to  tLe  Indians  to  pre- 
cede tLem,  or  tLe  great  numbers  of  tLe  savages  would  scarce 
leave  a  Lope  of  escape.  A  greater  sense  of  security  succeeded 
this  examination,  and  these  arrangements.  The  danger  was 
almost  entirely  to  be  appebended  on  tLe  side  of  tLe  river.  A 
canoe  passing  up-stream  migLt,  indeed,  discover  their  place  of 
concealment,  but  it  was  scarcely  to  be  apprebended  tLat  one 
would  wade  tLrougL  tLe  mud  and  water  of  tLe  swamp  to  ap- 
proacL  tLem  in  any  otLer  direction. 

Under  tLese  circumstances,  le  Bourdon  began  to  feel  more 
security  in  their  position.  Could  Le  now  be  certain  of  Peter, 
Lis  mind  would  be  comparatively  at  ease,  and  Le  migLt  turn 
Lis  attention  altogether  to  making  tLe  party  comfortable.  Mar- 
gery, who  seldom  quitted  his  side,  reasoned  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  the  mysterious  chief's  good  faith,  and  by  means  of 
her  own  deep  reliance  on  him,  she  came  at  last  to  the  point  of 
instilling  some  of  her  own  confidence  into  the  mind  of  her  hus- 
band. From  that  time  he  worked  at  the  shelter  for  the  females, 
and  the  other  little  arrangements  their  situation  rendered  neces- 
sary, with  greater  zest,  and  with  far  more  attention  to  the 
details.     So  long  as  we  are  in  doubt  of  accomplishing  good, 


THE     OAK      OPENINGS.  439 

we  hesitate  about  employing  our  energies ;  but  once  let  hope 
revive  within  us,  in  the  shape  of  favorable  results,  and  we  be- 
come new  men,  bracing  every  nerve  to  the  task,  and  working 
with  redoubled  spirit;  even  should  it  be  at  the  pump  of  the 
sinking  ship,  w7hich,  we  believe,  ranks  the  highest  among  the 
toils  that  are  inflicted  on  the  unfortunate. 

For  three  days  and  nights  did  le  Bourdon  and  his  friends 
remain  on  that  dry  land  of  the  swamp,  without  hearing  or  see- 
ing any  thing  of  either  Peter  or  Pigeonswing.  The  time  was 
growing  long,  and  the  party  anxious ;  though  the  sense  of 
security  was  much  increased  by  this  apparent  exemption  from 
danger.  Still,  uncertainty,  and  the  wish  to  ascertain  the  pre- 
cise state  of  things  in  the  Openings,  were  gradually  getting  to 
be  painful,  and  it  was  with  great  satisfaction  that  the  bee-hunter 
met  his  young  wife  as  she  came  running  toward  him,  on  the 
morning  of  the  fourth  day,  to  announce  that  an  Indian  wTas  ap- 
proaching, by  wading  in  the  margin  of  the  river,  keeping 
always  in  the  wrater  so  as  to  leave  no  trail.  Hurrying  to  a 
point  whence  their  visitor  might  be  seen,  le  Bourdon  soon 
perceived  it  was  no  other  than  Pigeonswing.  In  a  few  minutes 
this  Indian  arrived,  and  was  gladly  received  by  all  four  of  the 
fugitives,  who  gathered  around  him,  eager  to  hear  the  news. 

"You  are  welcome,  Chippewa,"  cried  le  Bourdon,  shaking 
his  friend  cordially  by  the  hand.  "We  were  half  afraid  we 
might  never  see  you  again.  Do  you  bring  us  good,  or  evil 
tidings?" 

"Must  n't  be  squaw,  and  ask  too  much  question,  Bourdon," 
returned  the  redskin,  carefully  examining  the  priming  of  his 
rifle,  in  order  to  make  sure  it  was  not  wet.  "  Got  plenty  veni- 
son, eh  ?" 

"  Not  much  venison  is  left,  but  we  have  caught  a  good  many 
fish,  which  have  helped  us  along.  I  have  killed  a  dozen  large 
squirrels,  too,  with  your  bow  and  arrows,  which  I  find  you  left 
in  your  canoe.     But — " 

"  Yes,  he  good  bow,  dat — might  kill  hummin'-bird  wid  dat 
bow.     Fish  good  here,  eh  2" 


440  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

"  They  are  eatable,  when  a  body  can  get  no  better.  But 
7ioiv,  I  should  think,  Pigeonswing,  you  might  give  us  some  of 
the  news." 

"  Must  n't  be  squaw,  Bourdon — bad  for  warrior  be  squaw. 
Alway  bess  be  man,  and  be  patient,  like  man.  What  you 
t'ink,  Bourdon  ?     Got  him  at  last !" 

"  Got  what,  my  good  fellow  ?  I  see  nothing  about  you,  but 
your  arms  and  ammunition." 

"  Got  scalp  of  dat  Weasel !  Was  n't  dat  well  done  ?  Neb- 
ber  no  young  warrior  take  more  scalp  home  dan  Pigeonswing 
carry  dis  time  !  Got  free  ;  all  hid,  where  Bear's  Meat  nebber 
know.     Take  'em  away,  when  he  get  ready  to  march." 

"  Well,  well,  Chippewa — I  suppose  it  will  not  be  easy  to  rea- 
son you  out  of  this  feelin' — but  what  has  become  of  the  red- 
skins who  burned  my  cabin,  and  who  killed  the  missionary  and 
the  corporal  ?" 

"  All  about — dough  must  go  down  river.  Look  here,  Bour- 
don, some  of  dem  chief  fool  enough  to  t'ink  bee  carry  you  off 
on  his  wing !" 

Here  the  Chippewa  looked  his  contempt  for  the  credulity 
and  ignorance  of  the  others,  though  he  did  not  express  it,  after 
the  boisterous  manner  in  which  a  white  man  of  his  class  might 
have  indulged.  To  him  le  Bourdon  was  a  good  fellow,  but  no 
conjuror,  and  he  understood  the  taking  of  the  bee  too  well  to 
have  any  doubts  as  to  the  character  of  that  process.  His 
friend  had  let  him  amuse  himself  by  the  hour  in  looking  through 
his  spy-glass,  so  that  the  mind  of  this  one  savage  was  particu- 
larly well  fortified  against  the  inroads  of  the  weaknessos  that  had 
invaded  those  of  most  of  the  members  of  the  great  council. 
Consequently,  he  was  amused  with  the  notion  taken  up  by 
some  of  the  others,  that  le  Bourdon  had  been  carried  off  by 
bees,  though  he  manifested  his  amusement  in  a  very  Indian-like 
fashion. 

"  So  much  the  better,"  answered  le  Bourdon  ;  "  and  I  hope 
they  have  followed  to  line  me  down  to  my  hive  in  the  settle* 
ments." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  441 

"Most  on  'em  go — yes,  dat  true.  But  some  don't  go. 
Plenty  of  Injins  still  about  dis  part  of  Opening." 

"What  are  we  then  to  do  ?  We  shall  soon  be  in  want  of 
food.  The  fish  do  not  bite  as  they  did,  and  I  have  killed  all 
the  squirrels  I  can  find.     You  know  I  dare  not  use  a  rifle." 

"Don't  be  squaw,  Bourdon.  When  Injin  get  marry  he 
grows  good  deal  like  squaw  at  fuss  ;  but  dat  soon  go  away.  I 
spose  it's  just  so  wid  pale-face.  Mustn't  be  squaw,  Bourdon. 
Dat  bad  for  warrior.  What  you  do  for  eat?  Why,  see  dere," 
pointing  to  an  object  that  was  floating  slowly  down  the  river, 
the  current  of  which  was  very  sluggish  just  in  that  reach. 
"  Dere  as  fat  buck  as  ever  did  see,  eh  ?" 

Sure  enough  the  Indian  had  killed  a  deer,  of  which  the  Open- 
ings were  full,  and  having  brought  it  to  the  river,  he  had  con- 
structed a  raft  of  logs,  and  placing  the  carcase  on  it,  he  had  set 
his  game  adrift,  taking  care  to  so  far  precede  it  as  to  be  in 
readiness  to  tow  it  into  port.  When  this  last  operation  was 
performed,  it  was  found  that  the  Chippewa  did  not  heedlessly 
vaunt  the  quality  of  his  prize.  What  was  more,  so  accurately 
had  he  calculated  the  time,  and  the  means  of  subsistence  in  the 
possession  of  the  fugitives,  that  his  supply  came  in  just  as  it 
was  most  needed.  In  all  this  he  manifested  no  more  than  the 
care  of  an  experienced  and  faithful  hunter.  Next  to  the  war- 
path, the  hunting-ground  is  the  great  field  for  an  Indian's 
glory ;  deeds  and  facts  so  far  eclipsing  purely  intellectual 
qualifications  with  savages,  as  to  throw  oratory,  though  much 
esteemed  by  them,  and  wisdom  at  the  Council  Fires,  quite  into 
the  shade.  In  all  this,  we  find  the  same  propensity  among 
ourselves.  The  common  mind,  ever  subject  to  these  impulses, 
looks  rather  to  such  exploits  as  address  themselves  to  the  senses 
and  the  imagination,  than  to  those  qualities  which  the  reason 
alone  can  best  appreciate;  and  in  this,  ignorance  asserts  its 
negative  power  over  all  conditions  of  lifq. 

Pigeonswing  now  condescended  to  enter  on  such  explanations 
as  the  state  of  the  case  rendered  necessary.  His  account  was 
sufficiently  clear,  and  it  manifested  throughout  the  sagacity  and 


442  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

shrewdness  of  a  practised  hunter  and  scout.  We  shall  not 
attempt  to  give  his  words,  which  would  require  too  mucn  space, 
but  the  substance  of  his  story  was  briefly  this : 

As  has  been  alluded  to  already,  the  principal  chiefs,  on  a 
suggestion  of  Bear's  Meat,  had  followed  the  young  men  down 
the  Kalamazoo,  dividing  themselves  by  a  part  of  their  body's 
crossing  the  stream  at  the  first  favorable  spot.  In  this  way  the 
Indians  proceeded,  sweeping  the  river  before  them,  and  examin- 
ing every  place  that  seemed  capable  of  concealing  a  canoe. 
Runners  were  kept  in  constant  motion  between  the  several  par- 
ties, in  order  to  let  the  state  of  the  search  be  known  to  all ;  and, 
feigning  to  be  one  of  these  very  men,  Pigeonswing  had  held 
communication  with  several  whom  he  purposely  met,  and  to 
whom  he  imparted  such  invented  information  as  contributed 
essentially  to  send  the  young  men  forward  on  a  false  scent.  In 
this  way,  the  main  body  of  the  savages  descended  the  river  . 
some  sixty  miles,  following  its  windings,  in  the  first  day  and  a 
half.  Here  Pigeonswing  left  them,  turning  his  own  face  up 
stream,  in  order  to  rejoin  his  friends.  Of  Peter  he  had  no 
knowledge;  neither  knowing,  nor  otherwise' learning,  what  had 
become  of  the  great  chief.  On  his  way  up  stream,  Pigeons- 
wing met  several  more  Indians ;  runners  like  himself,  or  as  he 
seemed  to  be  ;  or  scouts  kept  on  the  look-out  for  the  fugitives. 
He  had  no  difficulty  in  deceiving  these  men.  None  of  them 
had  been  of  Crowsfeather's  party,  and  he  was  a  stranger  to 
them  all.  Ignorant  of  his  real  character,  they  received  his  in- 
formation without  distrust,  and  the  orders  he  pretended  to  con- 
vey were  obeyed  by  them  without  the  smallest  hesitation.  In 
this  way,  then,  Pigeonswing  contrived  to  send  all  the  scouts  he 
met  away  from  the  river,  by  telling  them  that  there  was  reason 
to  think  the  pale-faces  had  abandoned  the  stream,  and  that  it 
was  the  wish  of  Bear's  Meat  that  their  trail  should  be  looked 
for  in  the  interior.  This  was  the  false  direction  that  he  gave  to 
all,  thereby  succeeding  better  even  than  he  had  hoped  in  clear- 
ing the  banks  of  the  Kalamazoo  of  observers  and  foes.  Never- 
theless, many  of  those  whom  he  knew  to  be  out,  some  quite 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  443 

in  the  rear  of  the  party,  and  others  in  its  front,  and  at  no  great 
distance  from  them,  he  did  not  meet ;  of  course  he  could  not 
get  his  false  directions  to  their  ears.  There  were,  in  fact,  so 
many  of  the  Indians  and  so  few  of  the  whites,  that  it  was  an 
easy  matter  to  cover  the  path  with  young  warriors,  any  one 
party  of  whom  would  be  strong  enough  to  capture  two  men 
and  as  many  women. 

Having  told  the  tale  of  his  own  doings,  Pigeonswing  next 
came  to  his  proposition  for  the  mode  of  future  proceeding. 
He  proposed  that  the  family  should  get  into  the  canoes  that 
very  night,  and  commence  its  flight  by  going  down  the  stream 
directly  toward  its  foes !  This  sounded  strangely,  but  there 
did  not  seem  to  be  any  alternative.  A  march  across  the  penin- 
sula would  be  too  much  for  the  females,  and  there  was  the  cer- 
tainty that  their  trail  would  be  found.  It  may  seem  strange  to 
those  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  American  Indian,  and  his 
habits,  to  imagine  that,  in  so  large  an  expanse,  the  signs  of  the 
passage  of  so  small  a  party  might  not  escape  detection ;  but 
such  was  the  case.  To  one  unaccustomed  to  the  vigilance  and 
intelligence  of  these  savages,  it  must  appear  just  as  probable 
that  the  vessel  could  be  followed  through  the  wastes  of  the 
ocean,  by  means  of  its  wake,  as  that  the  foot-prints  should  be 
so  indelible  as  to  furnish  signs  that  can  be  traced  for  days. 
Such,  however,  is  the  fact,  and  no  one  understood  it  better 
than  the  Chippewa.  He  was  also  aware  that  the  country  to- 
ward Ohio,  whither  the  fugitives  would  naturally  direct  their 
course,  now  that  the  English  were  in  possession  of  Detroit, 
must  soon  be  a  sort  of  battle-ground,  to  which  most  of  the  war- 
riors of  that  region  would  eagerly  repair.  Under  all  the  cir- 
cumstances, therefore,  he  advised  the  flight  by  means  of  the 
river.  Le  Bourdon  reasoned  on  all  he  heard,  and,  still  enter- 
taining some  of  his  latent  distrust  of  Peter,  and  willing  to  get 
beyond  his  reach,  he  soon  acquiesced  in  the  proposition,  and 
came  fully  into  the  plan. 

It  was  now  necessary  to  reload  the  canoes.  This  was  done 
in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  every  arrangement  was  made,  so 


444  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

as  to  be  ready  for  a  start  as  soon  as  the  darkness  set  in.  Every- 
body was  glad  to  move,  though  all  were  aware  of  the  extent  of 
the  hazard  they  ran.  The  females,  in  particular,  felt  their 
hearts  beat,  as  each,  in  her  husband's  canoe,  issued  out  of  the 
cover  into  the  open  river.  Pigeonswing  took  the  lead,  pad- 
dling with  a  slow,  but  steady  sweep  of  his  arm,  and  keeping  as 
close  as  was  convenient  to  one  bank.  By  adopting  this  precau- 
tion, he  effectually  concealed  the  canoes  from  the  eyes  of  all  on 
that  side  of  the  river,  unless  they  stood  directly  on  its  margin, 
and  had  the  aid  of  the  shadows  to  help  conceal  them  from  any 
who  might  happen  to  be  on  the  other.  In  this  way,  then,  the 
party  proceeded,  passing  the  site  of  the  hut,  and  the  grove  of 
the  Openings  around  it,  undetected.  As  the  river  necessarily 
flowed  through  the  lowest  land,  its  banks  were  wooded  much 
of  the  way,  which  afforded  great  protection  to  the  fugitives ; 
and  this  so  much  the  more  because  these  woods  often  grew  in 
swamps  where  the  scouts  would  not  be  likely  to  resort. 

About  midnight  the  canoes  reached  the  first  rift.  An  hour 
was  lost  in  unloading  and  in  reloading  the  canoes,  and  in  pass- 
ing the  difficulties  at  that  point.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the 
party  re-embarked,  and  resorted  once  more  to  the  use  of  the 
paddle,  in  order  to  gain  a  particular  sheltered  reach  of  the  river 
previously  to  the  return  of  light.  This  was  effected  successful- 
ly, and  the  party  landed. 

It  now  appeared  that  Pigeonswing  had  chosen  another 
swamp,  as  a  place  of  concealment  for  the  fugitives  to  use  during 
the  day.  These  swamps,  through  which  the  river  wound  its 
way  in  short  reaches,  were  admirably  adapted  to  such  pur- 
poses. Dark,  sombre,  and  hardly  penetrable  on  the  side  of  the 
land,  they  were  little  likely  to  be  entered  after  a  first  examina- 
tion. Nor  was  it  at  all  probable  that  females,  in  particular, 
would  seek  a  refuge  in  such  a  place.  But  the  Chippewa  had 
found  the  means  to  obviate  the  natural  obstacles  of  the  low 
land.  There  were  several  spots  where  the  water  from  the  river 
set  back  into  the  swamp,  forming  so  many  little  creeks ;  and 
into  the  largest  of  one  of  these  he  pushed  his  canoe,  the  others 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  445 

following  where  lie  led.  By  resorting  to  such  means,  the  shel- 
ter now  obtained  was  more  complete,  perhaps,  than  that  pre- 
viously left. 

Pigeons  wing  forced  his  light  boat  up  the  shallow  inlet,  until 
he  reached  a  bit  of  dry  land,  where  he  brought  up,  announcing 
that  as  the  abiding-place  during  the  day.  Glad  enough  was 
every  one  to  get  on  shore,  in  a  spot  that  promised  security, 
after  eight  hours  of  unremitting  paddling  and  of  painful  excite- 
ment. Notwithstanding  the  rifts  and  carrying-places  they  had 
met,  and  been  obliged  to  overcome,  le  Bourdon  calculated  that 
they  had  made  as  many  as  thirty  miles  in  the  course  of  that 
one  night.  This  was  a  great  movement,  and  to  all  appearances 
it  had  been  made  without  detection.  As  for  the  Chippewa,  he 
was  quite  content,  and  no  sooner  was  his  canoe  secured,  than 
he  lighted  his  pipe  and  sat  down  to  his  enjoyment  with  an  air 
of  composure  and  satisfaction. 

"  And  here,  you  think,  Pigeonswing,  that  we  shall  be  safe 
during  the  day  ?"  demanded  le  Bourdon,  approaching  the  fallen 
tree  on  which  the  Indian  had  taken  his  seat. 

"Sartain — no  Pottawattomie  come  here.     Too  wet.     Don't 
like  wet.     An't  duck,  or  goose — like  dry  land,  juss  like  squaw.  * 
Dis  good  'baccy,  Bourdon — hope  you  got  more  for  friend." 

"  I  have  enough  for  us  all,  Pigeonswing,  and  you  shall  have 
a  full  share.  Now,  tell  me ;  what  will  be  your  next  move,  and 
where  do  you  intend  us  to  pass  the  morrow  V ' 

"Juss  like  diss.  Plenty  of  swamp,  Bourdon,  on  Kekalama- 
zoo.*  Run  canoe  in  swamp ;  den  safe  'nough.  Injins  won't 
look  'ere,  'cause  he  don't  know  whereabout  look.  Don't  like 
swamp.     Great  danger  down  at  mouth  of  river." 

"  So  it  has  seemed  to  me,  Chippewa.  The  Injins  must  L;e 
there  in  a  strong  force,  and  we  shall  find  it  no  easy  matter  to 
get  through  them.     How  do  you  propose  to  do  it  ?" 

"  Go  by  in  night.  No  udder  way.  When  can't  see,  can't 
see.     Dere  plenty  of  rush  dere;    dat  good  t'ing,  and,  p'raps, 

*  This  is  the  true  Indian  word,  though  the  whites  haye  seen  fit  to  omit  the  first 
syllable. 


446  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

dat  help  us.  Rush  good  cover  for  canoe.  Expec',  when  we 
get  down  'ere,  to  get  some  scalp,  too.  Plenty  of  Pottawatto- 
mie  about  dat  lodge,  sartain ;  and  it  very  hard  if  don't  get  some 
on  him  scalp.  You  mean  stop,  and  dig  up  cache ;  eh,  Bour- 
don?" 

The  cool,  quiet  manner  in  which  Pigeonswing  revealed 
his  own  plans,  and  enquired  into  those  of  his  friend,  had,  at 
least,  the  effect  to  revive  the  confidence  of  le  Bourdon.  He 
could  not  think  the  danger  very  great  so  long  as  one  so  expe- 
rienced as  the  Chippewa  felt  so  much  confidence  in  his  own 
future  proceedings ;  and,  after  talking  a  short  time  longer  with 
this  man,  the  bee-hunter  went  to  seek  Margery,  in  order  to  im- 
part to  her  a  due  portion  of  his  own  hopes. 

The  sisters  were  preparing  the  breakfast.  This  was  done 
without  the  use  of  fire,  it  being  too  hazardous  to  permit  smoke 
to  rise  above  the  tops  of  the  trees.  Many  is  the  camp  that  has 
been  discovered  by  the  smoke,  which  can  be  seen  at  a  great 
distance ;  and  it  is  a  certain  sign  of  the  presence  of  man,  when 
it  ascends  in  threads,  or  such  small  columns  as  denote  a  domes- 
tic fire  beneath.  This  is  very  different  from  the  clouds  that  float 
above  the  burning  prairies,  and  which  all,  at  once,  impute  to 
their  true  origin.  The  danger  of  using  fire  had  been  so  much 
guarded  against,  by  our  fugitives,  that  the  cooking  of  the  party 
had  been  done  at  night;  the  utmost  caution  having  been  used 
to  prevent  the  fire  itself  from  being  seen,  and  care  taken  to  ex- 
tinguish it  long  before  the  return  of  day.  A  supply  of  cold 
meat  was  always  on  hand,  and  had  it  not  been,  the  fugitives 
would  have  known  how  to  live  on  berries,  or,  at  need,  to  fast ; 
any  thing  was  preferable,  being  exposed  to  certain  capture. 

As  soon  as  the  party  had  broken  their  fast,  arrangements 
were  made  for  recruiting  nature  by  sleep.  As  for  Pigeonswing, 
Indian-like,  he  had  eaten  enormously,  no  reasonable  quantity 
of  venison  sufficing  to  appease  his  appetite ;  and  when  he  had 
eaten,  he  lay  down  in  the  bottom  of  his  canoe  and  slept.  Sim- 
ilar dispositions  were  made  of  their  persons,  by  the  rest,  and  half- 
an-hour  after  the  meal  was  ended,  all  there  were  in  a  profound 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  44*7 

sleep.      No   watch  was  considered  necessary,    and   none   was 
kept. 

The  rest  of  the  weary  is  sweet.  Long  hours  passed,  ere  any 
one  there  awoke ;  but  no  sooner  did  the  Chippewa  move,  than 
all  the  rest  were  afoot.  It  was  now  late  in  the  day,  and  it  was 
time  to  think  of  taking  the  meal  that  was  to  sustain  them 
through  the  toil  and  fatigues  of  another  arduous  night.  This 
was  done ;  the  necessary  preparations  being  made  for  a  start  ere 
the  sun  had  set.  The  canoes  were  then  shoved  as  near  the 
mouth  of  the  inlet  as  it  was  safe  to  go,  while  the  light  remained. 
Here  they  stopped,  and  a  consultation  took  place,  as  to  the 
manner  of  proceeding. 

No  sooner  did  the  shades  of  evening  close  around  the  place, 
than  the  fugitives  again  put  forth.  The  night  was  clouded  and 
dark,  and  so  much  of  the  wray  now  lay  through  forests,  that 
there  wras  little  reason  to  apprehend  detection.  The  chief 
causes  of  delay  wTere  the  rifts,  and  the  portages,  as  had  been  the 
case  the  night  before.  Luckily,  le  Bourdon  had  been  up  and 
down  the  stream  so  often,  as  to  be  a  very  tolerable  pilot  in  its 
windings.  He  assumed  the  control,  and  by  midnight  the 
greatest  obstacle  to  that  evening's  progress  was  overcome.  At 
the  approach  of  day,  Pigeonswing  pointed  out  another  creek, 
in  another  swamp,  where  the  party  found  a  refuge  for  the  suc- 
ceeding day.  In  this  manner  four  nights  were  passed  on  the 
river,  and  as  many  days  in  swamps,  without  discovery.  The 
Chippewa  had  nicely  calculated  his  time  and  his  distances,  and 
not  the  smallest  mistake  was  made.  Each  morning  a  place  of 
shelter  was  reached  in  sufficient  season ;  and  each  night  the " 
fugitives  were  ready  for  the  start  as  the  day  shut  in.  In  this 
manner,  most  of  the  river  was  descended,  until  a  distance  that 
could  be  easily  overcome  in  a  couple  of  hours  of  paddling,  alone 
remained  between  the  party  and  the  mouth  of  the  stream. 
Extreme  caution  wras  now  necessary,  for  signs  of  Indians  in  the 
neighborhood  had  been  detected  at  several  points,  in  the  course 
of  the  last  night's  work.  On  one  occasion,  indeed,  the  escape 
was  so  narrow  as  to  be  worth  recordinc;. 


448  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

It  was  at  a  spot  where  the  stream  flowed  through,  a  forest 
denser  than  common,  that  Pigeonswing  heard  voices  on  the 
river,  ahead  of  him.  One  Indian  was  calling  to  another,  asking 
to  be  set  across  the  stream  in  a  canoe.  It  was  too  late  to  re- 
treat, and  so  much  uncertainty  existed  as  to  the  nearness,  or 
distance,  of  the  danger,  that  the  Chippewa  deemed  it  safest  to 
bring  all  three  of  his  canoes  together,  and  to  let  them  float  past 
the  point  suspected,  or  rather  known,  to  be  occupied  by  ene- 
mies. This  was  done,  with  the  utmost  care.  The  plan  suc- 
ceeded, though  not  without  running  a  very  great  risk.  The 
canoes  did  float  past  unseen,  though  there  was  a  minute  of  time 
when  le  Bourdon  fancied  by  the  sounds,  that  savages  were 
talking  to  each  other,  within  a  hundred  feet  of  his  ears.  Addi- 
tional security,  however,  was  felt  in  consequence  of  the  circum- 
stance, since  the  pursuers  must  imagine  the  river  below  them 
to  be  free  from  the  pursued. 

The  halt  that  morning  was  made  earlier  than  had  been  the 
practice  previously.  This  was  done  because  the  remaining  dis- 
tance was  so  small,  that  in  continuing  to  advance,  the  party 
would  have  incurred  the  risk  of  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river 
by  daylight.  This  was  to  be  avoided  on  every  account,  but 
principally  because  it  was  of  great  importance  to  conceal  from 
the  savages  the  direction  taken.  Were  the  chiefs  certain  that 
their  intended  victims  were  on  Lake  Michigan,  it  would  be 
possible  for  them  to  send  parties  across  the  isthmus,  that  should 
reach  points  on  Lake  Huron,  days  in  advance  of  the  arrival  of 
the  bee-hunter  and  his  friends  in  the  vicinity  of  Saginaw,  or 
Pointe  aux  Barques,  for  instance,  and  where  the  canoes  would 
be  almost  certain  to  pass  near  the  shore,  laying  their  ambushes 
to  accomplish  these  ends.  It  was  thought  very  material,  therefore, 
to  conceal  the  movements,  even  after  the  lake  might  be  reached, 
though  le  Bourdon  had  not  a  doubt  of  his  canoes  much  outsailing 
those  of  the  savages.  The  Indians  are  not  very  skilful  in  the  use 
of  sails,  while  the  bee-hunter  knew  how  to  manage  a  bark  canoe 
in  rough  water,  with  unusual  skill.  In  the  common  acceptation, 
he  was  no   sailor ;  but,  in  his  own  peculiar  craft,  there  was 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  449 

not  a  man  living  who  could  excel  him  in  dexterity  or  judg- 
ment. 

The  halting-place  that  morning  was  not  in  a  swamp,  for  none 
offered  at  a  suitable  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  On 
the  contrary,  it  was  in  a  piece  of  Opening,  that  was  tolerably 
well  garnished  with  trees,  however,  and  through  which  ran  a 
small  brook  that  poured  its  tribute  into  the  Kalamazoo.  The 
Chippewa  had  taken  notice  of  this  brook,  which  was  largo 
enough  to  receive  the  canoes,  where  they  might  be  concealed 
in  the  rushes.  A  favorable  copse,  surrounded  with  elders, 
afforded  a  covered  space  on  shore,  and  these  advantages  were 
improved  for  an  encampment. 

Instead  of  seeking  his  rest  as  usual,  on  reaching  this  cover, 
Pigeonswing  left  the  party  on  a  scout.  He  walked  up  the  brook 
some  distance,  in  order  to  conceal  his  trail,  and  then  struck 
across  the  Opening,  taking  the  direction  westward,  or  toward 
the  river's  mouth.  As  for  le  Bourdon  and  his  friends,  they  ate 
and  slept  as  usual,  undisturbed ;  but  arose  some  hours  before 
the  close  of  day. 

Thus  far,  a  great  work  had  been  accomplished.  The  canoes 
had  descended  the  stream  with  a  success  that  was  only  equalled 
by  the  hardihood  of  the  measure,  conducted  by  an  intelligence 
that  really  seemed  to  amount  to  an  instinct.  Pigeonswing  car- 
ried a  map  of  the  Kalamazoo  in  his  head,  and  seemed  never  at 
a  loss  to  know  where  to  find  the  particular  place  he  sought.  It 
is  true,  he  had  roamed  through  those  Openings  ever  since  he 
was  a  child ;  and  an  Indian  seldom  passes  a  place  susceptible 
of  being  made  of  use  to  his  habits,  that  he  does  not  take  such 
heed  of  its  peculiarities,  as  to  render  him  the  master  of  all  its 
facilities. 

Margery  was  now  full  of  hope,  while  the  bee-hunter  was  filled 
with  apprehensions.  She  saw  all  things  couleur  de  rose,  for  she 
was  young,  happy,  and  innocent ;  but  he  better  understood  that 
they  were  just  approaching  the  most  serious  moment  of  their 
flight.  He  knew  the  vigilance  of  the  American  savage,  and 
could  not  deceive  himself  on  the  subject  of  the  danger  they 


450 


THE      OAK      OPENING! 


must  run.  The  mouth  of  the  river  was  just  the  place  that,  of 
all  others,  would  be  the  closest  watched,  and  to  pass  it  would 
require  not  only  all  their  skill  and  courage,  but  somewhat  of  the 
fostering  care  of  Providence.  It  might  be  done  with  success, 
though,  the  chances  were  much  against  it. 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  451 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

w  Yes  I  we  have  need  to  bid  our  hopes  repose 
On  some  protecting  influence ;  here  confined, 
Life  hath  no  healing  balm  for  mental  woes ; 
Earth  is  too  narrow  for  the  immortal  mind. 
Our  spirits  burn  to  mingle  with  the  day, 
As  exiles  panting  for  their  native  coast ; 
Yet  lured  by  every  wild-flower  from  their  way, 
And  shrinking  from  the  gulf  that  must  be  crossed ; 
Death  hovers  round  us — in  the  zephyr's  sigh 
As  in  the  storm  he  comes — and  lo !  Eternity  1" 

Mrs.  Hemans. 

It  was  probably  tliat  inherent  disposition  to  pry  into  unknown 
things,  which  is  said  to  mark  her  sex,  and  which  was  the  weak- 
ness assailed  by  the  serpent  when  he  deluded  Eve  into  disobe- 
dience, that  now  tempted  Margery  to  go  beyond  the  limits 
which  Pigeonswing  had  set  for  her,  with  a  view  to  explore  and 
ascertain  what  might  be  found  without.  In  doing  this,  how- 
ever, she  did  not  neglect  a  certain  degree  of  caution,  and  avoided 
exposing  her  person  as  much  as  possible. 

Margery  had  got  to  the  very  verge  of  prudence,"  so  far  as  the 
cover  was  concerned,  when  her  steps  were  suddenly  arrested  by 
a  most  unexpected  and  disagreeable  sight.  An  Indian  was 
seated  on  a  rock  within  twenty  feet  of  the  place  where  she  stood. 
His  back  was  toward  her,  but  she  was  certain  it  could  not  be 
Pigeonswing,  who  had  gone  in  a  contrary  direction,  while  the 
frame  of  this  savage  was  much  larger  and  heavier  than  that  of 
the  Chippewa.  His  rifle  leaned  against  the  rock,  near  his  arm, 
and  the  tomahawk  and  knife  were  in  his  belt;  still  Margery 
thought,  so  far  as  she  could  ascertain,  that  he  was  not  in  his 
war-paint,  as  she  knew  was  the  fact  with  those  whom  she  had 


452  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

seen  at  Prairie  Round.  The  attitude  and  whole  deportment  of 
this  stranger,  too,  struck  her  as  remarkable.  Although  our 
heroine  stood  watching  him  for  several  minutes,  almost  breath- 
less with  terror  and  anxiety  to  learn  his  object,  he  never  stirred 
even  a  limb  in  all  that  time.  There  he  sate,  motionless  as  the 
rock  on  which  he  had  placed  himself ;  a  picture  of  solitude  and 
reflection. 

It  was  evident,  moreover,  that  this  stranger  also  sought  a 
species  of  concealment,  as  well  as  the  fugitives.  It  is  true  he 
had  not  buried  himself  in  a  cover  of  bushes ;  but  his  seat  was 
in  a  hollow  of  the  ground  where  no  one  could  have  seen  him, 
from  the  rear  or  on  either  side,  at  a  distance  a  very  little  greater 
than  that  at  which  Margery  stood,  while  his  front  was  guarded 
from  view  by  a  line  of  bushes  that  fringed  the  margin  of  the 
stream.  Marius,  pondering  on  the  mutations  of  fortune,  amid 
the  ruins  of  Carthage,  could  scarcely  have  presented  a  more 
striking  object  than  the  immovable  form  of  this  stranger.  At 
length  the  Indian  slightly  turned  his  head,  when  his  observer, 
to  her  great  surprise,  saw  the  hard,  red,  but  noble  and  expressive 
profile  of  the  well-known  features  of  Peter. 

In  an  instant  all  Margery's  apprehensions  vanished,  and  her 
hand  was  soon  lightly  laid  on  the  shoulder  of  her  friend.  Not- 
withstanding the  suddenness  of  this  touch,  the  great  chief  mani- 
fested no  alarm.  He  turned  his  head  slowly,  and  when  he  saw 
the  bright  countenance  of  the  charming  bride,  his  smile  met 
hers  in  pleased  recognition.  There  was  no  start,  no  exclama- 
tion, no  appearance  of  surprise ;  on  the  contrary,  Peter  seemed 
to  meet  his  pretty  young  friend  much  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 
obviously  with  great  satisfaction. 

"How  lucky  this  is,  Peter!"  exclaimed  the  breathless  Mar- 
gery. "Bourdon's  mind  will  now  be  at  rest,  for  he  was  afraid 
you  had  gone  to  join  our  enemies,  Bear's  Meat  and  his  party." 

"Yes;  go  and  stay  wid  'em.  So  bess.  Now  dey  t'ink 
Peter  all  on  deir  side.      But  never  forget  you,  young  Blossom." 

"  I  believe  you,  Peter;  for  I  feel  as  if  you  are  a  true  friend. 
How  lucky  that  we  should  meet  here !" 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  453 

"No  luck  at  all.  Come  a  purpose.  Pigeonswing  tell  me 
where  you  be,  so  come  here.     Juss  so." 

"Then  you  expected  to  find  us  in  this  cover !  and  what  have 
you  to  tell  us  of  our  enemies  ?" 

"  Plenty  oidem.  All  about  mout'  of  river.  All  about  woods 
and  openin's  here.  More  dan  you  count.  T'ink  of  nuttin'  but 
get  your  scalp." 

"Ah !  Peter ; — why  is  it  that  you  red  men  wish  so  much  to 
take  our  lives  ? — and  why  have  you  destroyed  the  missionary, 
a  pious  Christian,  who  wished  for  nothing  but  your  good  J" 

Peter  bent  his  eyes  to  the  earth,  and  for  more  than  a  minute 
he  made  no  reply.  He  was  much  moved,  however,  as  was  visi- 
ble in  his  countenance,  which  plainly  denoted  that  strong  emo- 
tions were  at  work  within. 

"Blossom,  listen  to  my  words,"  he,  at  length,  answered. 
"They  are  such  as  a  fader  would  speak  to  his  daughter.  You 
my  daughter.  Tell  you  so,  once ;  and  what  Injin  say  once,  he 
say  alway.  Poor,  and  don't  know  much,  but  know  how  to  do 
as  he  say  he  do.  Yes,  you  my  da'ghter !  Bear's  Meat  can't 
touch  you,  widout  he  touch  me.  Bourdon  your  husband ;  you 
his  squaw.  Husband  and  squaw  go  togedder,  on  same  path. 
Dat  right.  But,  Blossom,  listen.  Dere  is  Great  Spirit.  Injin 
believe  dat  as  well  as  pale-face.  See  dat  is  so.  Dere  is  Great 
Wicked  Spirit,  too.  Feel  dat,  too ;  can't  help  it.  For  twenty 
winter  dat  Great  Wicked  Spirit  stay  close  to  my  side.  He  put 
his  hand  before  one  of  my  ear,  and  he  put  his  mout'  to  tudder. 
Keep  whisper,  whisper,  whisper,  day  and  night,  nebber  stop 
whisper.  Tell  me  to  kill  pale-face,  wherever  I  find  him.  Bess 
to  kill  him.  If  didn't  kill  pale-face,  pale-face  kill  Injin.  No 
help  for  it.  Kill  ole  man,  kill  young  man ;  kill  squaws,  pap- 
poose  and  all.  Smash  eggs  and  break  up  'e  nest.  Dat  what  he 
whisper,  day  and  night,  for  twenty  winters.  Whisper  so  much, 
was  force  to  b'lieve  him.  Bad  to  have  too  much  whisper  ot 
same  t'ing  in  ear.  Den  I  want  scalp.  Couldn't  have  too  much 
scalp.  Took  much  scalp.  All  pale-face  scalp.  Heart  grow 
hard.     Great  pleasure  was  to  kill  pale-faco.     Dat  feeling  last, 


454  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Blossom,  till  I  see  you.  Feel  like  fader  to  you,  and  don't  want 
your  scalp.  Won'er  great  deal  why  I  feel  so,  but  do  feel  so. 
Dat  my  natur'.  Still  want  all  udder  pale-face  scalp.  Want 
Bourdon  scalp,  much  as  any." 

A  slight  exclamation  from  his  companion,  which  could 
scarcely  be  called  a  scream,  caused  the  Indian  to  cease  speak 
ing,  when  the  two  looked  toward  each  other,  and  their  eyea 
met.  Margery,  however,  saw  none  of  those  passing  gleams  of 
ferocity  which  had  so  often  troubled  her  in  the  first  few  weeks 
of  their  acquaintance ;  in  their  stead,  an  expression  of  subdued 
anxiety,  and  an  earnestness  of  inquiry,  that  seemed  to  say  how 
much  the  chief's  heart  yearned  to  know  more  on  that  mighty 
subject  toward  which  his  thoughts  had  lately  been  turned.  The 
mutual  glance  sufficed  to  renew  the  confidence  our  heroine  was 
very  reluctant  to  relinquish,  while  it  awakened  afresh  all  of 
Peter's  parental  concern  in  the  welfare  of  the  interesting  young 
woman  at  his  side. 

"But  this  feeling  has  left  you,  Peter,  and  you  no  longer  wish 
Bourdon's  scalp,"  said  Margery,  hastily.  "Now  he  is  my  hus- 
band, he  is  your  son." 

"Dat  good,  p'raps,"  answered  the  Injin,  "but  dat  not  2 
reason,  nudder,  Blossom.  You  right,  too.  Don't  want  Bour- 
don scalp  any  longer.  Dat  true.  But  don't  want  any  scalp, 
any  more.     Heart  grow  soft — an't  hard,  now." 

"I  wish  I  could  let  you  understand,  Peter,  how  much  I  re 
joice  to  hear  this  !  I  have  never  felt  afraid  of  you,  on  my  owe 
account,  though  I  will  own  that  I  have  sometimes  feared  that 
the  dreadful  cruel  stories  which  are  told  of  your  enmity  to  my 
color  are  not  altogether  without  truth.  Now,  you  tell  me  you 
are  the  white  man's  friend,  and  that  you  no  longer  wish  to  in- 
jure him.  These  are  blessed  words,  Peter ;  and  humbly  do  ] 
thank  God,  through  his  blessed  Son,  that  I  have  lived  to  hear 
them !" 

"  Dat  Son  make  me  feel  so,"  returned  the  Indian,  earnestly. 
"Yes,  juss  so.  My  heart  was  hard,  till  medicine-priest  tell  dat 
tradition  of  Son  of  Great  Spirit — how  he  die  for  all  tribes  and 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  455 

nations,  and  ask  his  fader  to  do  good  to  dem  dat  take  his  life — 
dat  won'erful  tradition,  Blossom !  Sound  like  song  of  wren  in 
my  ear — sweeter  dan  mocking-bird  when  he  do  his  bess.  Yes, 
dat  won'erful.  He  true,  too  ;  for  medicine-priest  ask  his  Mani- 
tou  to  bless  Injin,  juss  as  Injins  lift  tomahawk  to  take  his  life. 
I  see'd  and  heard  dat,  myself.     All,  won'erful,  won'erful !" 

"  It  was  the  Spirit  of  God  that  enabled  poor  Amen  to  do 
that,  Peter ;  and  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God  that  teaches  you  to  see 
and  feel  the  beauty  of  such  an  act.  Without  the  aid  of  that 
Spirit,  we  are  helpless  as  children ;  with  it,  strong  as  giants.  I 
do  not  wonder,  at  all,  that  the  good  missionary  was  able  to  pray 
for  his  enemies  with  his  dying  breath.  God  gave  him  strength 
to  do  so." 

Margery  spoke  as  she  felt,  earnestly,  and  with  emphasis.  Her 
cheeks  flushed  with  the  strength  of  her  feelings,  and  Peter 
gazed  on  her  with  a  species  of  reverence  and  wonder.  The 
beauty  of  this  charming  young  woman  was  pleasing  rather  than 
brilliant,  depending  much  on  expression  for  its  power.  A 
heightened  color  greatly  increased  it,  and  when,  as  in  this  in- 
stance, the  eyes  reflected  the  tints  of  the  cheeks,  one  might 
have  journeyed  days  in  older  regions,  without  finding  her  equal 
in  personal  attractions.  Much  as  he  admired  her,  however, 
Peter  had  now  that  on  his  mind  which  rendered  her  beauty  but 
a  secondary  object  with  him.  His  soul  had  been  touched  by 
the  unseen,  but  omnipresent,  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  his 
companion's  language  and  fervor  contributed  largely  in  keep- 
ing alive  his  interest  in  what  he  felt. 

"  Nebber  know  Injin  do  dat — "  said  Peter,  in  a  slow, 
deliberative  sort  of  way ;  "  no,  nebber  know  Injin  do  so.  Al- 
way  curse  and  hate  his  enemy,  and  moss  when  about  to  lose 
his  scalp.  Den,  feelin's  hottest.  Den,  most  want  to  use  toma- 
hawk on  his  enemy.  Den,  most  feel  dat  he  hate  him.  But 
not  so  wid  medicine-priest.  Pray  for  Injin ;  ask  Great  Spirit 
to  do  him  all'e  good  he  can ;  juss  as  Injin  was  goin'  to  strike. 
Won'erful — most  won'erful  dat,  in  my  eyes.  Blossom,  you 
know  Peter.     He  your  fader.     He  take  you,  and  make  you  his 


456  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

da'ghter.  His  heart  is  soft  to  you,  Blossom.  But,  lie  nuttin 
but  poor  Injin,  dough  a  great  chief.  What  he  know  i  Pale- 
face pappoose  know  more  dan  Injin  chief.  Dat  come  from 
Great  Spirit  too.  lie  wanted  it  so,  and  it  is  so.  Our  chiefs 
say  dat  Great  Spirit  love  Injin.  May  be  so.  T'ink  he  love  ebbery 
body  ;  but  he  can't  love  Injin  as  much  as  he  love  pale-face,  or 
he  wouldn't  let  red-man  know  so  little.  Don't  count  wig- 
wams, and  canoes,  and  powder,  and  lead,  as  proof  of  Great 
Spirit's  love.  Pale-face  got  more  of  dese  dan  Injin.  at  I 
see  and  know,  and  dat  I  feel.  But  it  no  matter.  Injin  used 
to  be  poor,  and  don't  care.  When  used  to  be  poor,  den  used 
to  it.  When  used  to  be  rich,  den  it  hard  not  to  be  rich.  All 
use.  Injin  don't  care.  But  itjbad  not  to  know.  I'm  warrior 
— I'm  hunter — I'm  great  chief.  You  squaw — you  young — you 
know  so  much  as  squaw  of  chief.  But  you  know  most.  I  feel 
ashamed  to  know  so  little.  Want  to  know  more.  Want  to 
know  most  how'e  Son  of  Great  Spirit  die  for  all  tribe,  and 
pray  to  his  fader  to  bless  'em  dat  kill  him.  Dat  what  Peter 
now  want  moss  to  know !" 

"  I  wish  I  was  better  able  to  teach  you,  Peter,  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart ;  but  the  little  I  do  know  you  shall  hear. 
I  would  not  deny  you  for  a  thousand  worlds,  for  I  believe  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  touched  your  heart,  and  that  you  will  become 
a  new  man.  Christians  believe  that  all  must  become  new  men, 
who  are  to  live  in  the  other  world,  in  the  presence  of  God." 

"How  can  dat  be?  Peter  soon  be  ole — how  can  ole  man 
grow  young  ag'in?" 

"  The  meaning  of  this  is  that  we  must  so  change  in  feelings, 
as  no  longer  to  be  the  same  persons.  The  things  that  we  loved 
we  must  hate,  and  the  things  that  we  hated,  or  at  least  neglect- 
ed, we  must  love.  When  we  feel  this  change  in  our  hearts, 
then  may  we  hope  that  we  love  and  reverence  the  Great  Spirit, 
and  are  living  under  his  holy  care." 

Peter  listened  with  the  attention  of  an  obedient  and  respect- 
ful child.  If  meekness,  humility,  a  wish  to  learn  the  truth, 
and  a  devout  sentiment  toward  the  Creator,  aro  so  many  indi- 


THE      OAK     OPENINGS.  457 

cations  of  the  "  new  birth,"  then  might  this  savage  be  said  to 
have  been  truly  "  born  again."  Certainly  he  was  no  longer  the 
same  man,  in  a  moral  point  of  view,  and  of  this  he  was  him- 
self  entirely  conscious.  To  him  the  wonder  was  what  had  pro- 
duced so  great  and  so  sudden  a  change  !  But  the  reply  ho 
made  to  Margery  will,  of  itself,  sufficiently  express  his  views  of 
his  own  case. 

"  An  Injin  like  a  child,"  he  said,  meekly;  "nebber  know. 
Even  pale-face  squaw  know  more  dan  great  chief.  Nebber 
feel  as  do  now.  Heart  soft  as  young  squaw's.  Don't  hate  any 
body,  no  more.  "Wish  well  to  all  tribe,  and  color,  and  nation. 
Don't  hate  Bri'sh,  don't  hate  Yankee ;  don't  hate  Cherokee, 
even.  Wish  'em  all  well.  Don't  know  dat  heart  is  strong 
enough  to  ask  Great  Spirit  to  do  'em  all  good,  if  dey  want  my 
scalp — p'raps  dat  too  much  for  poor  Injin  ;  but  don't  want  no- 
body's scalp,  myself.     Dat  somct'in',  I  hope,  for  me." 

"  It  is,  indeed,  Peter ;  and  if  you  will  get  down  on  your 
knees,  and  humble  your  thoughts,  and  pray  to  God  to  strength- 
en you  in  these  good  feelings,  he  will  be  sure  to  do  it,  and  make 
you,  altogether,  a  new  man." 

Peter  looked  wistfully  at  Margery,  and  then  turned  his  eyes 
toward  the  earth.  After  sitting  in  a  thoughtful  mood  for  some 
time,  he  again  regarded  his  companion,  saying,  with  the  simplic- 
ity of  a  child : 

"  Don't  know  how  to  do  dat,  Blossom.  Hear  medicine- 
priest  of  pale-faces  pray,  sometime,  but  poor  Injin  don't  know 
enough  to  speak  to  Great  Spirit.  You  speak  to  Great  Spirit  for 
him.  He  know  your  voice,  Blossom,  and  listen  to  what  you 
say ;  but  he  won't  hear  Peter,  who  has  so  long  hated  his  enemy. 
P'raps  he  angry  if  he  hear  Peter  speak." 

"  In  that  you  are  mistaken,  Peter.  The  ears  of  the  Lord 
arc  ever  open  to  our  prayers,  when  put  up  in  sincerity,  as  I 
feel  certain  that  yours  will  now  be.  But,  after  I  have  told  you 
the  meaning  of  what  I  am  about  to  say,  I  will  pray  with  you 
and  for  you.  It  is  best  that  you  should  begin  to  do  this,  as 
soon  as  you  can." 
20 


458  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

Margery  then  slowly  repeated  to  Peter  the  words  of  the 
Lord's  prayer.  She  gave  him  its  history,  aud  explained  the 
meaning  of  several  of  its  words  that  might  otherwise  have  been 
unintelligible  to  him,  notwithstanding  his  tolerable  proficiency 
in  English — a  proficiency  that  had  greatly  increased  in  the  last 
few  weeks,  in  consequence  of  his  constant  communications  with 
those  who  spoke  it  habitually.  The  word  "  trespasses,"  in  par- 
ticular, was  somewhat  difficult  for  the  Indian  to  comprehend, 
but  Margery  persevered  until  she  succeeded  in  giving  her  schol- 
ar tolerably  accurate  ideas  of  the  meaning  of  each  term.  Then 
she  told  the  Indian  to  kneel  with  her,  and,  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life,  that  man  of  the  Openings  and  prairies  lifted  his  voice 
in  prayer  to  the  one  God.  It  is  true  that  Peter  had  often  be- 
fore mentally  asked  favors  of  his  Manitou ;  but  the  requests 
were  altogether  of  a  worldly  character,  and  the  being  addressed 
was  invested  with  attributes  very  different  from  those  which  he 
now  understood  to  belong  to  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth. 
Nor  was  the  spirit  in  asking  at  all  the  same.  We  do  not  wish 
to  be  understood  as  saying  that  this  Indian  was  already  a  full 
convert  to  Christianity,  which  contains  many  doctrines  of  which 
he  had  not  the  most  distant  idea  ;  but  his  heart  had  undergone 
the  first  step  in  the  great  change  of  conversion,  and  he  was  now 
as  humble  as  he  had  once  been  proud ;  as  meek,  as  he  had 
formerly  been  fierce ;  and  he  felt  that  certain  proof  of  an  incip- 
ient love  of  the  Creator,  in  a  similar  feeling  toward  all  the 
works  of  his  hands. 

"When  Peter  arose  from  his  knees,  after  repeating  the  prayer 
to  Margery's  slow  leading,  it  was  with  the  dependence  of  a 
child  on  the  teaching  of  its  mother.  Physically,  he  was  the 
man  he  ever  had  been.  He  was  as  able  to  endure  fatigue,  as  sin- 
ewy in  his  frame,  and  as  capable  of  fasting  and  of  sustaining 
fatigue,  as  in  his  most  warlike  days ;  but,  morally,  the  change 
was  great,  indeed.  Instead  of  the  obstinate  confidence  in  him- 
self and  his  traditions,  which  had  once  so  much  distinguished 
this  chief,  there  was  substituted  an  humble  distrust  of  his  own 
judgment,  that  rendered  him  singularly  indisposed  to  rely  on 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  459 

his  personal  views,  in  any  matter  of  conscience,  and  lie  was 
truly  become  a  child  in  all  that  pertained  to  his  religious  belief. 
In  good  hands,  and  under  more  advantageous  circumstances, 
the  moral  improvement  of  Peter  would  have  been  great ;  but, 
situated  as  he  was,  it  could  not  be  said  to  amount  to  much 
more  than  a  very  excellent  commencement. 

All  this  time  both  Peter  and  Margery  had  been  too  intent  on 
their  feelings  and  employment,  to' take  much  heed  to  the  pre- 
cautions necessary  to  their  concealment.  The  sun  was  settiug 
ere  they  arose,  and  then  it  was  that  Peter  made  the  important 
discovery  that  they  were  observed  by  two  of  the  young  men  of 
the  Pottawattamies — scouts  kept  out  by  Bear's  Meat  to  look  for 
the  fugitives. 

The  time  was  when  Peter  would  not  have  hesitated  to  use  his 
rifle  on  these  unwelcome  intruders ;  but  the  better  spirit  that 
had  come  over  him,  now  led  him  to  adopt  a  very  different 
course.  Motioning  to  the  young  men,  he  ordered  them  to  re- 
tire, while  he  led  Margery  within  the  cover  of  the  bushes. 
Formerly,  Peter  would  not  have  scrupled  to  resort  to  deception, 
in  order  to  throw  these  two  young  men  on  a  wrong  scent,  and 
get  rid  of  them  in  that  mode;  but  now  he  had  a  reluctance  to 
deceive  ;  and,  no  sooner  did  they  fall  back  at  his  beckoning, 
than  he  followed  Margery  to  the  camp.  The  latter  was  giving 
her  husband  a  hurried  account  of  what  had  just  happened,  as 
Peter  joined  them. 

"  Our  camp  is  known  !"  exclaimed  the  bee-hunter  the  instant 
he  beheld  the  Indian. 

"Juss  so.  Pottawattamie  see  squaw,  and  go  and  tell  his 
chief.     Dat  sartain,"  answered  Peter. 

"  What  is  there  to  be  done? — Fight  for  our  lives,  or  fly  !" 

"Get  in  canoe  quick  as  can.  It  take  dem  young  men  half- 
hour  to  reach  place  where  chief  be.  In  dat  half-hour  we  muss 
go  as  far  as  we  can.  No  good  to  stay  here.  Injin  come  in 
about  one  hour." 

Le  Bourdon  knew  his  position  well  enough  to  understand 
this.     Nevertheless,  there  were  several  serious  objections  to  an 


4G0  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

immediate  rlio-lit.  Piffeonswing  was  absent,  and  the  bee-hunter 
did  not  like  the  notion  of  leaving  him  behind,  for  various  rea- 
sons. Then  it  was  not  yet  dark ;  and  to  descend  the  river  by 
daylight,  appeared  like  advancing  into  the  jaws  of  the  lion  de- 
signedly. Nor  was  le  Bourdon  at  his  ease  on  the  subject  of 
Peter.  His  sudden  appearance,  the  insufficient  and  far  from 
clear  account  of  Margery,  and  the  extraordinary  course  advised, 
served  to  renew  ancient  distrusts,  and  to  render  him  reluctant 
to  move.  But  of  one  thing  there  could  be  no  doubt.  Their 
present  position  must  be  known,  for  Margery  had  seen  the  two 
strange  Indians  with  her  own  eyes,  and  a  search  might  soon  be 
expected.  Under  all  the  circumstances,  therefore,  our  hero 
reluctantly  complied  with  Margery's  reiterated  solicitations,  and 
they  all  got  into  the  canoes. 

"I  do  not  like  this  movement,  Peter,',  said  le  Bourdon,  as 
he  shoved  his  own  light  craft  down  the  brook,  previously  to 
entering  the  river.  "  I  hope  it  may  turn  out  to  be  better  than 
it  looks,  and  that  you  can  keep  us  out  of  the  hands  of  our  ene- 
mies. Eemember,  it  is  broad  daylight,  and  that  red  men  are 
plenty  two  or  three  miles  below  us." 

"  Yes,  know  dat ;  but  muss  go.  Injin  too  plenty  here,  soon. 
Yes,  muss  go.  Bourdon,  why  you  can't  ask  bee,  now,  what 
bess  t'ing  for  you  to  do,  eh  ?  Good  time,  now,  ask  bee  to  tell 
what  he  know." 

The  bee-hunter  made  no  reply,  but  his  pretty  wife  raised  her 
hand,  involuntarily,  as  if  to  implore  the  Indian  to  forbear. 
Peter  was  a  little  bewildered ;  for,  as  yet,  he  did  not  under- 
stand that  a  belief  in  necromancy  was  not  exactly  compatible 
with  the  notions  of  the  Christian  Providence.  In  his  igno- 
rance, how  much  was  he  worse  off  than  the  wisest  of  our  race  ? 
Will  any  discreet  man  who  has  ever  paid  close  attention  to  the 
power  of  the  somnambule,  deny  that  there  is  a  mystery  about 
such  a  person  that  exceeds  all  our  means  of  explanation  ?  That 
there  are  degrees  in  the  extent  of  this  power — that  there  are 
false,  as  well  as  true  somnambules — all  who  have  attended  to  the 
subject  must  allow  ;    but,  a  deriding  disbeliever   in    our  own 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  461 

person  once,  we  have  since  seen  that  which  no  laws,  known  to 
us,  can  explain,  and  which  we  are  certain  is  not  the  subject  of 
collusion,  as  we  must  have  been  a  party  to  the  fraud  ourselves, 
were  any  such  practised.  To  deny  the  evidence  of  our  senses 
is  an  act  of  greater  weakness  than  to  believe  that  there  are  mys- 
teries connected  with  our  moral  and  physical  being  that  human 
sagacity  has  not  yet  been  able  to  penetrate  ;  and  we  repudiate 
the  want  of  manliness  that  shrinks  from  giving  its  testimony 
when  once  convinced,  through  an  apprehension  of  being  de- 
rided, as  weaker  than  those  who  withhold  their  belief.  "We 
know  that  our  own  thoughts  have  been  explained  and  rendered, 
by  a  somnambule,  under  circumstances  that  will  not  admit  of 
any  information  by  means  known  to  us  by  other  principles ; 
and  whatever  others  may  think  on  the  subject,  we  are  perfectly 
conscious  that  no  collusion  did  or  could  exist.  Why,  then,  are 
we  to  despise  the  poor  Indian  because  he  still  fancied  le  Bour- 
don could  hold  communication  with  his  bees  ?  We  happen  to 
be  better  informed,  and  there  may  be  beings  who  are  aware  of 
the  as  yet  hidden  laws  of  animal  magnetism — hidden  as  respects 
ourselves,  though  known  to  them — and  who  fully  comprehend 
various  mistakes  and  misapprehensions  connected  with  our  im- 
pressions on  this  subject,  that  escape  our  means  of  detection.  It 
is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  Peter,  in  his  emergency,  turned 
to  those  bees,  in  the  hope  that  they  might  prove  of  assistance, 
or  that  Margery  silently  rebuked  him  for  the  weakness,  in  the 
manner  mentioned. 

Although  it  was  still  light,  the  sun  was  near  setting  when  the 
canoes  glided  into  the  river.  Fortunately  for  the  fugitives,  the 
banks  were  densely  wooded,  and  the  stream  of  great  width — a 
little  lake,  in  fact — and  there  was  not  much  danger  of  their  being 
seen  until  they  got  near  the  mouth;  nor  then,  even,  should 
they  once  get  within  the  cover  of  the  wild  rice,  and  of  the 
rushes.  There  was  no  retreat,  however;  and  after  paddling 
some  distance,  in  order  to  get  beyond  the  observation  of  any 
scout  who  might  approach  the  place  where  they  had  last  been 
seen,  the  canoes  were  brought  close  together,  and  suffered  to 


462  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

float  before  a  smart  breeze,  so  as  not  to  reach  the  mouth  of  the 
stream  before  the  night  closed  around  them.  Every  thing  ap- 
peared so  tranquil,  the  solitude  was  so  profound,  and  their  pro- 
gress so  smooth  and  uninterrupted,  that  a  certain  amount  of 
confidence  revived  in  the  breasts  of  all,  and  even  the  bee-hunter 
had  hopes  of  eventual  escape. 

A  conversation  now  occurred,  in  which  Peter  was  questioned 
concerning  the  manner  in  which  he  had  been  occupied  during 
his  absence ;  an  absence  that  had  given  le  Bourdon  so  much 
concern.  Had  the  chief  been  perfectly  explicit,  he  would  have 
confessed  that  fully  one-half  of  his  waking  thoughts  had  been 
occupied  in  thinking  of  the  death  of  the  Son  of  God,  of  the 
missionary's  prayer  for  his  enemies,  and  of  the  sublime  morali- 
ty connected  with  such  a  religion.  It  is  true  Peter  did  not — 
could  not,  indeed — enter  very  profoundly  into  the  consideration 
of  these  subjects ;  nor  were  his  notions  either  very  clear  or 
orthodox ;  but  they  were  sincere,  and  the  feelings  to  which 
they  gave  birth  were  devout.  Peter  did  not  touch  on  these 
circumstances,  however,  confining  his  explanations  to  the  purely 
material  part  of  his  proceedings.  He  had  remained  with  Bear's 
Meat,  Crowsfeather,  and  the  other  leading  chiefs,  in  order  to  be 
at  the  fountain-head  of  information,  and  to  interpose  his  in- 
fluence should  the  pale-faces  unhappily  fall  into  the  hands  of 
those  who  were  so  industriously  looking  for  them.  Nothing 
had  occurred  to  call  his  authority  out,  but  a  strange  uncertainty 
seemed  to  reign  among  the  warriors,  concerning  the  manner  in 
which  their  intended  victims  eluded  their  endeavors  to  overtake 
them.  No  trail  had  been  discovered,  scout  after  scout  coming 
in  to  report  a  total  want  of  success  in  their  investigations  in- 
land. This  turned  the  attention  of  the  Indians  still  more 
keenly  on  the  river's  mouth,  it  being  certain  that  the  canoes 
could  not  have  passed  out  into  the  lake  previously  to  the  arrival 
of  the  two  or  three  first  parties  of  their  young  men,  who  had 
been  sent  so  early  to  watch  that  particular  outlet. 

Peter  informed  le  Bourdon  that  his  cache  had  been  discover- 
ed, opened,  and  rifled  of  its  stores.     This  was  a  severe  loss  to 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  463 

our  hero,  and  one  that  would  have  been  keenly  felt  at  any  other 
time  ;  but  just  then,  he  had  interests  so  much  more  important 
to  protect,  that  he  thought  and  said  little  about  this  mishap. 
The  circumstance  which  gave  him  the  most  concern  was  this : 
Peter  stated  that  Bear's  Meat  had  directed  about  a  dozen  of 
his  young  men  to  keep  watch,  day  and  night,  in  canoes,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  lying  in  wait  among  the  wild  rice,  like 
so  many  snakes  in  the  grass. 

The  party  was  so  much  interested  in  this  conversation  that, 
almost  insensibly  to  themselves,  they  had  dropped  down  to  the 
beginning  of  the  rushes  and  rice,  and  had  got  rather  dangerous- 
ly near  to  the  critical  point  of  their  passage.  As  it  was  still 
daylight,  Peter  now  proposed  pushing  the  canoes  in  among 
the  plants,  and  there  remaining  until  it  might  be  safer  to  move. 
This  was  done,  accordingly,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  all  three 
of  the  little  barks  were  concealed  within  the  cover. 

The  question  now  was  whether  the  fugitives  had  been  ob- 
served, but  suffered  to  advance,  as  every  foot  they  descended 
the  stream  was  taking  them  nearer  to  their  foes.  Peter  did  not 
conceal  his  apprehension  on  this  point,  since  he  deemed  it  im- 
probable that  any  reach  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo  was 
without  its  look-outs,  at  a  moment  so  interesting.  Such  was, 
indeed,  the  fact,  as  was  afterward  ascertained ;  but  the  young 
men  who  had  seen  Peter  and  Margery,  had  given  the  alarm, 
passing  the  word  where  the  fugitives  were  to  be  found,  and  the 
sentinels  along  this  portion  of  the  stream  had  deserted  their 
stations,  in  order  to  be  in  at  the  capture.  By  such  delicate 
and  unforeseen  means  does  Providence  often  protect  those  who 
are  the  subjects  of  its  especial  care,  baffling  the  calculations  of 
art,  by  its  own  quiet  control  of  events. 

The  bee-hunter  had  a  feverish  desire  to  be  moving.  After 
remaining  in  the  cover  about  half-an-hour,  he  proposed  that 
they  should  get  the  canoes  into  one  of  the  open  passages,  of 
which  there  were  many  among  the  plants,  and  proceed.  Peter 
had  more  of  the  patience  of  an  Indian,  and  deemed  the  hour 
too  early.     But  le  Bourdon  was  not  yet  entirely  free  from  dis- 


464  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

trust  of  Ms  companion,  and  telling  Gershom  to  follow,  lie  began 
paddling  down  one  of  the  passages  mentioned*  This  decisive 
step  compelled  the  rest  to  follow,  or  to  separate  from  their 
companions.     They  chose  to  do  the  first. 

Had  le  Bourdon  possessed  more  self-command,  and  remained 
stationary  a  little  longer,  he  would,  in  all  probability,  have  es- 
caped altogether  from  a  very  serious  danger  that  he  was  now 
compelled  to  run.  Although  there  were  many  of  the  open  places 
among  the  plants,  they  did  not  always  communicate  with  each 
other,  and  it  became  necessary  to  force  the  canoes  through  little 
thickets,  in  order  to  get  out  of  one  into  another,  keeping  the 
general  direction  of  descending  the  river.  It  was  while  effect- 
ing the  first  of  these  changes,  that  the  agitation  of  the  tops 
of  the  plants  caught  the  eye  of  a  look-out  on  the  shore. 
By  signals,  understood  among  themselves,  this  man  communi- 
cated Ms  discovery  to  a  canoe  that  was  acting  as  one  of  the 
guard-boats,  thus  giving  a  general  alarm  along  the  whole  line 
of  sentinels,  as  well  as  to  the  chiefs  down  at  the  hut  or  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  The  fierce  delight  with  which  this  news 
was  received,  after  so  long  a  delay,  became  ungovernable,  and 
presently  yells  and  cries  filled  the  air,  proceeding  from  both 
sides  of  the  stream,  as  well  as  from  the  river  itself. 

There  was  not  a  white  person  in  those  canoes  who  did  not 
conceive  that  their  party  was  lost,  when  this  clamor  was  heard. 
With  Peter  it  was  different.  Instead  of  admitting  of  alarm,  he 
turned  all  his  faculties  to  use.  While  le  Bourdon  himself  was 
nearly  in  despair,  Peter  was  listening  with  his  nice  ears,  to 
catch  the  points  on  the  river  whence  the  yells  arose.  For  the 
banks  he  cared  nothing.  The  danger  was  from  the  canoes.  By 
the  keenness  of  his  faculties,  the  chief  ascertained  that  there 
were  four  canoes  out,  and  that  they  would  have  to  run  the 
gauntlet  between  them,  or  escape  would  be  hopeless.  By  the 
sounds  he  also  became  certain  that  these  four  canoes  were  in 
the  rice,  two  on  each  side  of  the  river,  and  there  they  would 
probably  remain,  in  expectation  that  the  fugitives  would  be 
most  likely  to  come  down  in  the  cover. 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  465 

The  decision  of  Peter  was  made  in  a  moment.  It  was  now 
quite  dark,  and  those  who  were  in  canoes  within  the  rice  could 
not  well  see  the  middle  of  the  stream,  even  by  daylight.  He 
determined,  therefore,  to  take  the  very  centre  of  the  river,  giv- 
ing his  directions  to  that  effect  with  precision  and  clearness. 
The  females  he  ordered  to  lie  down,  each  in  her  own  canoe, 
while  their  husbands  alone  were  to  remain  visible.  Peter  hoped 
that,  in  the  darkness,  le  Bourdon  and  Gershom  might  pass  for 
Indians,  on  the  look-out,  and  under  his  own  immediate  com- 
mand. 

One  very  important  fact  was  ascertained  by  le  Bourdon,  as 
soon  as  these  arrangements  were  explained  and  completed.  The 
wind  on  the  lake  was  blowing  from  the  south,  and  of  course 
was  favorable  to  those  who  desired  to  proceed  in  the  opposite 
direction.  This. he  communicated  to  Margery  in  a  low  tone, 
endeavoring  to  encourage  her  by  all  the  means  in  his  power. 
In  return,  the  young  wife  muttered  a  few  encouraging  words  to 
her  husband.  Every  measure  was  understood  between  the  par- 
ties. In  the  event  of  a  discovery,  the  canoes  were  to  bury 
themselves  in  the  rice,  taking  different  directions,  each  man 
acting  for  himself.  A  place  of  rendezvous  was  appointed  out- 
side, at  a  head-land  known  to  Gershom  and  le  Bourdon,  and 
signals  were  agreed  on,  by  which  the  latest  arrival  might  know 
that  all  was  safe,  there.  These  points  were  settled  as  the  canoes 
floated  slowly  down  the  stream. 

Peter  took  and  kept  the  lead.  The  night  was  star-lit  and 
clear,  but  there  was  no  moon.  On  the  water,  this  made  but 
little  difference,  objects  not  being  visible  at  any  material  dis- 
tance. The  chief  governed  the  speed,  which  was  moderate,  but 
regular.  At  the  rate  he  was  now  going,  it  would  require  about 
an  hour  to  carry  the  canoes  into  the  lake.  But  nearly  all  of  that 
hour  must  pass  in  the  midst  of  enemies ! 

Half  of  the  period  just  mentioned  elapsed,  positively  without 
an  alarm  of  any  sort.  By  this  time,  the  party  was  abreast  of 
the  spot  where  Gershom  and  le  Bourdon  had  secreted  the  canoes 
in  the  former  adventure  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.     On  the 


466  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

shores,  however,  a  very  different  scene  now  offered.  Then,  the 
fire  burned  brightly  in  the  hut,  and  the  savages  could  be  seen 
by  its  light.  Now,  all  was  not  only  dark,  but  still  as  death. 
There  was  no  longer  any  cry,  sound,  alarm,  or  foot-fall,  audible. 
The  very  air  seemed  charged  with  uncertainty,  and  its  offspring, 
apprehension. 

As  they  approached  nearer  and  nearer  to  what  was  conceived 
to  be  the  most  critical  point  in  the  passage,  the  canoes  got  closer 
together ;  so  close,  indeed,  that  le  Bourdon  and  Gershom  might 
communicate  in  very  guarded  tones.  The  utmost  care  was 
taken  to  avoid  making  any  noise,  since  a  light  and  careless  blow 
from  a  paddle,  on  the  side  of  a  canoe,  would  be  almost  certain, 
now,  to  betray  them.  Margery  and  Dorothy  could  no  longer 
control  their  feelings,  and  each  rose  in  her  seat,  raising  her  body 
so  as  to  bring  her  head  above  the  gunwale  of  the  canoe,  if  a 
bark  canoe  can  be  said  to  have  a  gunwale  at  all.  They  even 
whispered  to  each  other,  endeavoring  to  glean  encouragement 
by  sympathy.  At  this  instant,  occurred  the  crisis  in  their  at- 
tempt to  escape. 


IHE     OAK     OPENINGS.  407 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

"  For  an  Indian  isle  she  shapes  her  way 
With  constant  mind  both  night  and  day :  ] 
She  seems  to  hold  her  home  in  view ; 
And  sails  as  if  the  path  she  knew, 
So  calm  and  stately  in  her  motion 
Across  the  unfathomed,  trackless  ocean." 

Wilson. 

It  has  been  said  that  Peter  was  in  advance.  When  his  canoe 
was  nearly  abreast  of  the  usual  landing  at  the  hut,  he  saw  two 
canoes  coming  out  from  among  the  rice,  and  distant  from  him 
not  more  than  a  hundred  yards.  At  a  greater  distance,  indeed, 
it  would  not  have  been  easy  to  distinguish  such  an  object  on  the 
water  at  all.  Instead  of  attempting  to  avoid  these  two  canoes, 
the  chief  instantly  called  to  them,  drawing  the  attention  of 
those  in  them  to  himself,  speaking  so  loud  as  to  be  easily  over- 
heard by  those  who  followed. 

" My  young  men  are  too  late,"  he  said.  "The  pale-faces 
have  been  seen  in  the  openings  above  by  our  warriors,  and  must 
soon  be  here.  Let  us  land,  and  be  ready  to  meet  them  at  the 
wigwam." 

Peter's  voice  was  immediately  recognized.  The  confident, 
quiet,  natural  manner  in  which  he  spoke,  served  to  mislead 
those  in  the  canoes  ;  and  when  he  joined  them,  and  entered  the 
passage  among  the  rice  that  led  to  the  landing,  preceding  the 
others,  the  last  followed  him  as  regularly  as  the  colt  follows  its 
dam.  Le  Bourdon  heard  the  conversation,  and  understood  the 
movement,  though  he  could  not  see  the  canoes.  Peter  con- 
tinued talking  aloud,  as  he  went  up  the  passage,  receiving  an- 
swers to  all  he  said  from  his  new  companions,  his  voice  serving 
to  let  the  fugitives  know  precisely  where  they  were.     All  this 


403  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

was  understood  and  improved  by  the  last,  who  lost  no  time  in 
turning  the  adventure  to  account. 

The  first  impulse  of  le  Bourdon  had  been  to  turn  and  fly  up 
stream.  But,  ascertaining  that  these  dangerous  enemies  were 
so  fully  occupied  by  Peter  as  not  to  see  the  canoes  behind,  he 
merely  inclined  a  little  toward  the  other  side  of  the  channel, 
and  slackened  his  rate  of  movement,  in  order  not  to  come  too 
near.  The  instant  he  was  satisfied  that  all  three  of  the  canoes 
in  advance  had  entered  the  passage  mentioned,  and  were  mov- 
ing toward  the  landing,  he  let  out,  and  glided  down  stream  like 
an  arrow.  It  required  but  half  a  minute  to  cross  the  opening 
of  the  passage,  but  Peter's  conversation  kept  his  followers  look- 
ing ahead,  which  greatly  lessened  the  risk.  Le  Bourdon's  leart 
was  in  his  mouth  several  times,  while  thus  running  the  gauntlet, 
as  it  might  be ;  but  fortune  favored  them ;  or,  as  Margery  more 
piously  understood  the  circumstances,  a  Divine  Providence  led 
them  in  safety  past  the  danger. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  both  le  Bourdon  and  Gershom 
thought  it  highly  probable  that  they  should  fall  in  with  more 
look-outs,  and  each  prepared  his  arms  for  a  fight.  But  no 
canoe  was  there,  and  the  fugitives  were  soon  in  the  lake. 
Michigan  is  a  large  body  of  water,  and  a  bark  canoe  is  but  a 
frail  craft  to  put  to  sea  in,  when  there  is  any  wind  or  commo- 
tion. On  the  present  occasion,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  both ; 
so  much  as  greatly  to  terrify  the  females.  Of  all  the  craft  known, 
however,  one  of  these  egg-shells  is  really  the  safest,  if  properly 
managed,  among  breakers,  or  amid  the  combing  of  seas.  We 
have  ourselves  ridden  in  them  safely  through  a  surf  that  would 
have  swamped  the  best  man-of-war  cutter  that  ever  floated ; 
and  done  it,  too,  without  taking  on  board  as  much  water  as 
would  serve  to  wash  one's  hands.  The  light  vessel  floats  on  so 
little  of  the  element,  indeed,  that  the  foam  of  a  large  sea  has 
scarce  a  chance  of  getting  above  it,  or  aboard  it ;  the  great  point 
in  the  handling  being  to  prevent  the  canoe  from  falling  broad- 
side to.  By  keeping  it  end-on  to  the  sea,  in  our  opinion,  a 
smart  gale  might  be  weathered  in  one  of  these  craft,  provided 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS*  469 

the  endurance  of  a  man  could  bear  up  against  the  unceasing 
watchfulness  and  incessant  labor  of  sweeping  with  the  paddle,  in 
order  to  prevent  broaching  to. 

Le  Bourdon,  it  has  been  said,  was  very  skilful  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  craft ;  and  Gershom,  now  perforce  a  sober  and 
useful  man,  was  not  much  behind  him  in  this  particular.  The 
former  had  foreseen  this  very  difficulty,  and  made  all  his  ar- 
rangements to  counteract  it.  No  sooner,  therefore,  did  he 
find  the  canoes  in  rough  water  than  he  brought  them  together, 
side  by  side,  and  lashed  them  there.  This  greatly  lessened 
the  danger  of  capsizing,  though  it  increased  the  labor  of  man- 
aging the  craft  when  disposed  to  turn  broadside  to.  It  only  re- 
mained to  get  sail  on  the  catamaran,  for  some  such  thing  was  it 
now,  in  order  to  keep  ahead  of  the  sea  as  much  as  possible. 
Light  cotton  lugs  were  soon  spread,  one  in  each  canoe,  and 
away  they  went,  as  sailors  term  it,  wing  and  wing. 

It  was  now  much  easier  steering,  though  untiring  vigilance  was 
still  necessary.  A  boat  may  appear  to  fly,  and  yet  the  "  send 
of  the  sea"  shall  glance  ahead  of  it  with  the  velocity  of  a  bird. 
Nothing  that  goes  through,  or  on,  the  water — and  the  last  is  the 
phrase  best  suited  to  the  floating  of  a  bark  canoe — can  ever  be 
made  to  keep  company  with  that  feathery  foam,  which,  under 
the  several  names  of  "  white-caps" — an  in-shore  and  lubber's 
term — "  combs,"  "  breaking  of  the  seas,"  "the  wash," etc.,  etc., 
glances  by  a  vessel  in  a  blow,  or  comes  on  board  her  even  when 
she  is  running  before  it.  We  have  often  watched  these  clouds 
of  water,  as  they  have  shot  ahead  of  us,  when  ploughing  our 
own  ten  or  eleven  knot  through  the  brine,  and  they  have  ever 
appeared  to  us  as  so  many  useful  admonishers  of  what  the  power 
of  God  is,  as  compared  to  the  power  of  man.  The  last  shall 
construct  his  ship,  fit  her  with  all  the  appliances  of  his  utmost 
art,  sail  her  with  the  seaman's  skill,  and  force  her  through  her 
element  with  something  like,  railroad  speed ;  yet  will  the  seas 
"  send"  their  feathery  crests  past  her,  like  stvmany  dolphins,  or 
porpoises,  sporting  under  her  fore-foot.  It  is  this  following  sea 
which  becomes  so  very  dangerous  in  heavy  gales,  and  which. 


470  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

compels  the  largest  ships  frequently  to  heave-to,  in  order  that 
they  may  present  their  bows  to  its  almost  resistless  power. 

But  our  adventurers  had  no  such  gales  as  those  we  mean,  or 
any  such  seas  to  withstand.  The  wind  blew  fresh  from  the 
south,  and  Michigan  can  get  up  a  very  respectable  swell  at 
need.  Like  the  seas  in  all  the  great  lakes,  it  was  short,  and  all 
the  worse  for  that.  The  larger  the  expanse  of  water  over 
which  the  wind  passes,  the  longer  is  the  sea,  and  the  easier  is 
it  for  the  ship  to  ride  on  it.  Those  of  Lake  Michigan,  how- 
ever, were  quite  long  enough  for  a  bark  canoe,  and  glad  enough 
were  both  Margery  and  Dorothy  when  they  found  their  two 
little  vessels  lashed  together,  and  wearing  an  air  of  more  stabili- 
ty than  was  common  to  them.  Le  Bourdon's  sail  was  first 
spread,  and  it  produced  an  immediate  relief  from  the  washing 
of  the  waves.  The  drift  of  a  bark  canoe,  in  a  smart  blow,  is 
considerable,  it  having  no  hold  on  the  water  to  resist  it ;  but 
our  adventurers  fairly  flew  as  soon  as  the  cotton  cloth  was 
opened.  The  wind  being  exactly  south,  by  steering  due  north, 
or  dead  before  it,  it  was  found  possible  to  carry  the  sail  in  the 
other  canoe,  borne  out  on  the  opposite  side  ;  and  from  the  mo- 
ment that  was  opened,  all  the  difficulty  was  reduced  to  steering 
so  "  small, n  as  seamen  term  it,  as  to  prevent  one  or  the  other 
of  the  lugs  from  jibing.  Had  this  occurred,  however,  no 
very  serious  consequences  would  have  followed,  the  precaution 
taken  of  lashing  the  craft  together,  rendering  capsizing  next  to 
impossible. 

The  Kalamazoo  and  its  mouth  were  soon  far  behind,  and  le 
Bourdon  no  longer  felt  the  least  apprehension  of  the  savages 
left  in  it.  The  Indians  are  not  bold  navigators,  and  he  felt 
certain  that  the  lake  was  too  rough  for  the  savages  to  venture 
out,  while  his  own  course  gradually  carried  him  off  the  land, 
and  out  of 'the  track  of  any  thing  that  kept  near  the  shore.  A 
short  time  produced  a  sense  of  security,  and  the  wind  appear- 
ing to  fall,  instead  of  increasing  in  violence,  it  was  soon  arranged 
that  one  of  the  men  should  sleep,  while  the  other  looked  to  the 
safety  of  the  canoes. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  471 

It  was  about  nine  o'clock  when  the  fugitives  made  sail,  off 
the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo ;  and,  at  the  return  of  light, 
seven  hours  later,  they  were  more  than  forty  miles  from  the 
place  of  starting.  The  wind  still  stood,  with  symptoms  of 
growing  fresher  again  as  the  sun  rose,  and  the  land  could  just 
be  seen  in  the  eastern  board,  the  coast  in  that  direction  having 
made  a  considerable  curvature  inland.  This  had  brought  the 
canoes  farther  from  the  land  than  le  Bourdon  wished  to  be,  but 
he  could  not  materially  change  his  course  without  taking  in  one 
of  his  sails.  As  much  variation  was  made,  however,  as  was 
prudent,  and  by  nine  o'clock,  or  twelve  hours  after  entering  the 
lake,  the  canoes  again  drew  near  to  the  shore,  which  met  them 
ahead.  By  the  bee-hunter's  calculations,  they  were  now  about 
seventy  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo,  having  passed 
the  outlets  of  two  or  three  of  the  largest  streams  of  those 
regions. 

The  fugitives  selected  a  favorable  spot,  and  landed  behind  a 
head-land  that  gave  them  a  sufficient  lee  for  the  canoes.  They 
had  now  reached  a  point  where  the  coast  trends  a  little  to  the 
eastward,  which  brought  the  wind  in  a  slight  degree  off  the 
land.  This  change  produced  no  very  great  effect  on  the  seas, 
but  it  enabled  the  canoes  to  keep  close  to  the  shore,  making 
something  of  a  lee  for  them.  This  they  did  about  noon,  after 
having  lighted  a  fire,  caught  some  fish  in  a  small  stream,  killed 
a  deer  and  dressed  it,  and  cooked  enough  provisions  to  last  for 
two  or  three  days.  The  canoes  were  now  separated  again  ;  it 
being  easier  to  manage  them  in  that  state  than  when  lashed  to- 
gether, besides  enabling  them  to  carry  both  sails.  The  farther 
north  they  got  the  more  of  a  lee  was  found,  though  it  was  in  no 
place  sufficient  to  bring  smooth  water. 

In  this  manner  several  more  hours  were  passed,  and  six  times 
as  many  more  miles  were  made  in  distance.  When  le  Bourdon 
again  landed,  which  he  did  shortly  before  the  sun  set,  he  cal- 
culated his  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo  to  be 
^ather  more  than  a  hundred  miles.  His  principal  object  was  to 
ascend  a  bluff  and  to  take  a  look  at  the  coast,  in  order  to  ex- 


472  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

amine  it  for  canoes.  This  his  glass  enabled  him  to  do  with 
some  accuracy,  and  when  he  rejoined  the  party,  he  was  rejoiced 
to  have  it  in  his  power  to  report  that  the  coast  was  clear.  After 
refreshing  themselves,  the  canoes  were  again  brought  together, 
in  order  to  divide  the  watches,  and  a  new  start  was  made  for 
the  night.  In  this  manner  did  our  adventurers  make  their  way 
to  the  northward  for  two  nights  and  days,  landing  often,  to 
fish,  hunt,  rest,  and  cook,  as  well  as  to  examine  the  coast.  At 
the  end  of  the  time  mentioned,  the  celebrated  straits  of  the 
Michillimackinac,  or  Mackinaw,  as  they  are  almost  universally 
termed,  came  in  sight.  The  course  had  been  gradually  chang- 
ing toward  the  eastward,  and,  luckily  for  the  progress  of  the 
fugitives,  the  wind  with  it,  leaving  them  always  a  favorable 
breeze.  But  it  was  felt  to  be  no  longer  safe  to  use  a  sail,  and 
recourse  was  had  to  the  paddles,  until  the  straits  and  island 
were  passed.  This  caused  some  delay,  and  added  a  good  deal 
to  the  labor ;  but  it  was  deemed  so  dangerous  to  display  their 
white  cotton  sails,  objects  that  might  be  seen  for  a  considerable 
distance,  that  it  was  thought  preferable  to  adopt  this  caution. 
Nor  was  it  useless.  In  consequence  of  this  foresight,  a  fleet  of 
canoes  was  passed  in  safety,  which  were  crossing  from  the  post 
at  Mackinaw  toward  the  main  land  of  Michigan.  The  number 
of  the  canoes  in  this  fleet  could  not  have  been  less  than  fifty, 
but  getting  a  timely  view  of  them,  le  Bourdon  hid  his  own 
craft  in  a  cove,  and  remained  there  until  the  danger  wTas  over. 

The  course  now  changed  still  more,  while  the  wind  got  quite 
round  to  the  westward.  This  made  a  fair  wind  at  first,  and 
gave  the  canoes  a  good  lee  as  they  advanced.  Lake  Huron, 
which  was  the  water  the  fugitives  were  now  on,  lies  nearly 
parallel  to  Michigan,  and  the  course  was  south,  easterly.  As 
le  Bourdon  had  often  passed  both  ways  on  these  waters,  he  had 
his  favorite  harbors,  and  knew  those  signs  which  teach  naviga- 
tors how  to  make  their  prognostics  of  the  weather.  On  the 
whole,  the  fugitives  did  very  well,  though  they  lost  two  days 
between  Mackinaw  and  Saginaw  Bay ;  one  on  account  of  tho 
strength  of  the  wind,  and  one  on  account  of  rain.     During  the 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  47S 

last,  they  remained  in  a  hut  that  le  Bourdon  had  himself  con- 
structed in  one  of  his  many  voyages,  and  which  he  had  left 
standing.  These  empty  cabins,  or  chientes,  are  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  new  countries,  being  used,  like  the  Rufuges  in 
the  Alps,  by  every  traveller  as  lie  has  need  of  them. 

The  sight  of  the  fleet  of  canoes,  in  the  straits  of  Michillima- 
ckinac,  caused  the  fugitives  the  only  real  trouble  they  had  felt, 
between  the  time  when  they  left  the  mouth  of  the  Kalamazoo, 
and  the  ten  days  that  succeeded.  By  the  end  of  that  period 
the  party  had  crossed  Saginaw,  and  was  fast  coming  up  with 
Pointe  au  Barques,  a  land-mark  for  all  who  navigate  the  waters 
of  Huron,  when  a  canoe  was  seen  coming  out  from  under  the 
land,  steering  as  if  to  intercept  them.  This  sight  gave  both 
concern  and  pleasure ;  concern,  as  it  might  lead  to  a  hostile 
encounter,  and  pleasure,  because  the  bee-hunter  hoped  for  in- 
formation that  might  be  useful  in  governing  his  future  course. 
Here  his  glass  came  in  play,  with  good  effect.  By  means  of 
that  instrument,  it  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  strange  canoe 
contained  but  two  men,  both  Indians,  and  as  that  was  just  their 
own  force,  no  great  danger  was  apprehended  from  the  meeting. 
The  craft,  therefore,  continued  to  approach  each  other,  le  Bour- 
don keeping  his  glass  levelled  on  the  strangers,  much  of  the 
time. 

"As  I  live,  yonder  are  Peter  and  Pigeonswing,"  suddenly 
exclaimed  our  hero.  "They  have  crossed  the  Peninsula,  and 
have  come  out  from  the  point,  in  that  canoe,  to  meet  us." 

"With  important  news,  then,  depend  on  it,  Benjamin," 
answered  the  wife.  "Tell  this  to  brother,  that  he  and  Dolly 
may  not  feel  more  alarm  than  is  necessary." 

The  bee-hunter  called  out  to  his  friends  in  the  other  canoe, 
and  communicated  the  discovery  just  made.  The  two  craft 
keeping  always  within  hailing  distance  of  each  other. 

"Them  Injins  are  not  here  for  nothing,"  answered  Dorothy. 
"You  will  find  they  have  something  serious  to  say." 

"We  shall  soon  know,"  called  out  le  Bourdon.  "  Ten  min- 
utes will  bring  us  alongside  of  them." 


474  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

The  ten  minutes  did  that  mnch,  and  before  the  expiration  of 
the  short  space,  the  three  canoes  were  fastened  together,  that 
of  Peter  being  in  the  centre.  The  bee-hunter  saw,  at  a  glance, 
that  the  expedition  of  the  Indians  had  been  hurried ;  for  their 
canoe,  besides  being  of  very  indifferent  qualities,  was  not  pro- 
vided with  the  implements  and  conveniences  usual  to  a  voyage 
of  any  length.  Still,  he  would  not  ask  a  question,  but  lighting 
his  pipe,  after  a  few  puffs,  he  passed  it  courteously  over  to 
Peter.  The  great  chief  smoked  awhile,  and  gave  it  to  Pigeons- 
wing,  in  his  turn,  who  appeared  to  enjoy  it  quite  as  much  as 
any  of  the  party. 

" My  father  does  not  believe  he  is  a  Jew?"  said  le  Bourdon, 
smiling;  willing  to  commence  a  discourse,  though  still  deter- 
mined not  to  betray  a  womanish  curiosity. 

"  We  are  poor  Injins,  Bourdon ;  juss  as  the  Great  Spirit 
made  us.  Dat  bess.  Can't  help  what  Manitou  do.  If  he 
don't  make  us  Jew,  can't  be  Jew.  If  he  make  us  Injin,  muss 
be  Injin.  For  my  part,  b'lieve  I'm  Injin,  and  don't  want  to 
be  pale-face.  Can  love  pale-face,  now,  juss  as  well  as  love 
Injin." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  this  is  true,  Peter,"  exclaimed  Margery,  her 
handsome  face  flushing  with  delight,  at  hearing  these  words. 
"  So  long  as  your  heart  tells  you  this,  be  certain  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  is  in  you." 

Peter  made  no  answer,  but  he  looked  profoundly  impressed 
with  the  novel  feeling  that  had  taken  possession  of  his  soul. 
As  for  the  bee-hunter,  he  did  not  meddle  with  Margery's  con- 
victions or  emotions  on  such  subjects,  resembling,  in  this  par- 
ticular, most  men,  who,  however  indifferent  to  religion  in  their 
own  persons,  are  never  sorry  to  find  that  their  wives  profoundly 
submit  to  its  influence.  After  a  short  pause,  a  species  of  hom- 
age involuntarily  paid  to  the  subject,  he  thought  he  might  now 
inquire  into  the  circumstances  that  brought  the  Indians  on  their 
route,  without  incurring  the  imputation  of  a  weak  and  impatient 
curiosity.  In  reply,  Peter's  story  was  soon  told.  He  had  re- 
joined the  chiefs  without  exciting  distrust,  and  all  had  waited 


THE     OAK      OPENINGS.  475 

for  the  young  men  to  bring  in  the  captives.  As  soon  as  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  intended  victims  had  escaped,  and  by  water, 
parties  proceeded  to  different  points,  in  order  to  intercept  them. 
Some  followed  in  canoes,  but  being  less  bold  in  their  navigation 
than  the  bee-hunter,  they  did  not  make  the  straits  until  some 
time  after  the  fugitives  had  passed.  Peter,  himself,  had  joined 
Bear's  Meat,  and  some  twenty  warriors  who  had  crossed  the 
Peninsula,  procured  canoes  at  the  head  of  Saginaw  Bay,  and 
had  come  out  at  Pointe  au  Barques,  the  very  spot  our  party 
was  now  approaching,  three  days  before  its  arrival. 

Tired  with  waiting,  and  uncertain  whether  his  enemies  had 
not  got  the  start  of  him,  Bear's  Meat  had  gone  into  the  river 
below,  intending  to  keep  his  watch  there,  leaving  Peter  at  the 
Pointe,  with  three  young  men  and  one  canoe,  to  have  a  look- 
out. These  young  men  the  great  chief  had  found  an  excuse 
for  sending  to  the  head  of  the  Bay,  in  quest  of  another  canoe, 
which  left  him,  of  course,  quite  alone  on  the  Pointe.  Scarce 
had  the  young  men  got  out  of  sight,  ere  Pigeonswing  joined 
his  confederate,  for  it  seems  that  this  faithful  friend  had  kept 
on  the  skirts  of  the  enemy  the  whole  time,  travelling  hundreds 
of  miles,  and  enduring  hunger  and  fatigue,  besides  risking  his 
life  at  nearly  every  step,  in  order  to  be  of  use  to  those  whom  he 
considered  himself  pledged  to  serve. 

Of  course,  Peter  and  Pigeonswing  understood  each  other. 
One  hour  after  they  joined  company,  the  canoes  of  the  fugi- 
tiveb  come  in  sight,  and  were  immediately  recognized  by  their 
sails.  They  were  met,  as  has  been  mentioned,  and  the  explana- 
tions that  we  have  given  were  made  before  the  party  landed  at 
the  Pointe. 

It  was  something  to  know  where  the  risk  was  to  be  appre- 
hended ;  but  le  Bourdon  foresaw  great  danger.  He  had  brought 
his  canoes,  already,  quite  five  hundred  miles,  along  a  hazardous 
coast — though  a  little  craft,  like  one  of  those  he  navigated,  ran 
less  risk,  perhaps,  than  a  larger  vessel,  since  a  shelter  might,  at 
any  time,  be  found  within  a  reasonable  distance  for  it.  From 
Pointe  au  Barques  to  the  outlet  of  the  lake  was  less  than  a  hun- 


476  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

drcd  miles  more.  This  outlet  was  a  river,  as  it  is  called — a 
strait,  in  fact — which  communicates  with  the  small  shallow  lake 
of  St.  Clair,  by  a  passage  of  some  thirty  miles  in  length. 
Then  the  lake  St.  Clair  was  to  be  crossed,  about  an  equal  dis- 
tance, when  the  canoes  would  come  out  in  what  is  called  the 
Detroit  river,  a  strait  again,  as  its  name  indicates.  Some  six  or 
eight  miles  down  this  passage,  and  on  its  western  side,  stands 
the  city  of  Detroit,  then  a  village  of  no  great  extent,  with  a  fort 
better  situated  to  repel  an  attack  of  the  savages,  than  to  with- 
stand a  siege  of  white  men.  This  place  was  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  British,  and,  according  to  le  Bourdon's  notion,  it 
was  scarcely  less  dangerous  to  him  than  the  hostility  of  Bear's 
Meat  and  his  companions. 

Delay,  however,  was  quite  as  dangerous  as  any  thing  else. 
After  cooking  and  eating,  therefore,  the  canoes  continued  their 
course,  Peter  and  Pigeonswing  accompanying  them,  though 
they  abandoned  their  own  craft.  Peter  went  with  the  bee- 
hunter  and  Margery,  while  the  Chippewa  took  a  seat  and  a  pad- 
dle in  the  canoe  of  Gershom.  This  change  was  made,  in  order 
to  put  a  double  power  in  each  canoe,  since  it  was  possible  that 
downright  speed  might  become  the  only  means  of  safety. 

The  wind  still  stood  at  the  westward,  and  the  rate  of  sailing 
was  rapid.  About  the  close  of  the  day  the  party  drew  near  to 
the  outlet,  when  Peter  directed  the  sails  to  be  taken  in.  This 
was  done  to  prevent  their  being  seen,  a  precaution  that  was 
now  aided  by  keeping  as  near  to  the  shore  as  possible,  where 
objects  so  small  and  low  would  be  very  apt  to  be  confounded 
with  others  on  the  land. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  the  canoes  entered  the  St.  Clair 
river.  Favored  by  the  current  and  the  wind,  their  progress  was 
rapid,  and  ere  the  day  returned,  changing  his  direction  from 
the  course  ordinarily  taken,  Peter  entered  the  lake  by  a  circuit- 
ous passage  ;  one  of  the  many  that  lead  from  the  river  to  the 
lake,  among  aquatic  plants  that  form  a  perfect  shelter.  This 
detour  saved  the  fugitives  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  one 
party  of  their   enemies,  as  was   afterward  ascertained  by  the 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  477 

Indians.  Bears  Meat  had  left  two  canoes,  eaeli  manned  by 
five  warriors,  to  watch  the  principal  passages  into  Lake  St.  Clair, 
not  anticipating  that  any  particular  caution  would  be  used  by 
the  bee-hunter  and  his  friends,  at  this  great  distance  from  the 
place  where  they  had  escaped  from  their  foes.  But  the  arrival 
of  Peter,  his  sagacity,  and  knowledge  of  Indian  habits,  pre- 
vented the  result  that  was  expected.  The  canoes  got  into  the 
lake  unseen,  and  crossed  it  a  little  diagonally,  so  as  to  reach  the 
Canada  shore  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  succeeding 
day,  using  their  sails  only  when  far  from  land,  and  not  exposed 
to  watchful  eyes. 

The  bee-hunter  and  his  friends  landed  that  afternoon  at  the 
cabin  of  a  Canadian  Frenchman,  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
at  a  safe  distance  from  the  outlet  which  led  still  further  south. 
Here  the  females  were  hospitably  received,  and  treated  with  that 
kindness  which  marks  the  character  of  the  Canadian  French. 
It  mattered  little  to  these  simple  people,  whether  the  travellers 
were  of  the  hostile  nation  or  not.  It  is  true,  they  did  not  like 
the  "Yankees,"  as  all  Americans  are  termed  by  them,  but  they 
were  not  particularly  in  love  with  their  English  masters.  It 
was  well  enough,  to  be  repossessed  of  both  banks  of  the  Detroit, 
for  both  banks  were  then  peopled  principally  by  their  own  race, 
the  descendants  of  Frenchmen  of  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  and 
who  still  preserved  much  of  the  language,  and  many  of  the 
usages,  of  the  French  of  that  period.  They  spoke  then,  as 
now,  only  the  language  of  their  fathers. 

The  bee-hunter  left  the  cottage  of  these  simple  and  hospita- 
ble people,  as  soon  as  the  night  was  fairly  set  in ;  or,  rather,  as 
soon  as  a  young  moon  had  gone  down.  Peter  now  took  the 
command,  steering  the  canoe  of  le  Bourdon,  while  Gershom 
followed  so  close  as  to  keep  the  bow  of  his  little  craft  within 
reach  of  the  Indian's  arm.  In  less  than  an  hour  the  fugitives 
reached  the  opening  of  the  river,  which  is  here  divided  into 
two  channels  by  a  large  island.  On  that  very  island,  and  at 
that  precise  moment,  was  Bear's  Meat  lying  in  wait  for  their 
appearance,  provided  with  three  canoes,  each  having  a  crew  of 


478  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

six  men.  It  would  have  been  easy  for  this  chief  to  go  to  De- 
troit, and  give  the  alarm  to  the  savages  who  were  then  col- 
lected there  in  a  large  force,  and  to  have  made  such  a  dispo- 
sition of  the  canoes  as  would  have  rendered  escape  by  water  im- 
possible ;  but  this  would  have  been  robbing  himself  and  his 
friends  of  all  the  credit  of  taking  the  scalps,  and  throwing  away 
what  is  termed  "  honor"  among  others  as  well  as  among 
savages.  He  chose,  therefore,  to  trust  to  his  own  ability  to 
succeed  ;  and  supposing  the  fugitives  would  not  be  particularly 
on  their  guard  at  this  point,  had  little  doubt  of  intercepting 
them  here,  should  they  succeed  in  eluding  those  he  had  left 
above. 

The  bee-hunter  distrusted  that  island,  and  used  extra  caution 
in  passing  it.  In  the  first  place,  the  two  canoes  were  brought 
together,  so  as  to  give  them,  in  the  dark,  the  appearance  of  only 
one ;  while  the  four  men  added  so  much  to  the  crew  as  to  aid 
the  deception.  In  the  end  it  proved  that  one  of  Bear's  Meat's 
canoes  that  was  paddling  about  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  had 
actually  seen  them,  but  mistook  the  party  for  a  canoe  of  their 
own,  which  ought  to  have  been  near  that  spot,  with  precisely 
six  persons  in  it,  just  at  that  time.  These  six  warriors  had 
landed,  and  gone  up  among  the  cottages  of  the  French  to  obtain 
some  fruit,  of  which  they  were  very  fond,  and  of  which  they  got 
but  little  in  their  own  villages.  Owing  to  this  lucky  coinci- 
dence, which  the  pretty  Margery  ever  regarded  as  another 
special  interposition  of  Providence  in  their  favor,  the  fugitives 
passed  the  island  without  molestation,  and  actually  got  below 
the  last  look-outs  of  Bear's  Meat,  though  without  their 
knowledge. 

It  was  by  no  means  a  difficult  thing  to  go  down  the  river, 
now  that  so  many  canoes  were  in  motion  on  it,  at  all  hours. 
The  bee-hunter  knew  what  points  were  to  be  avoided,  and  took 
care  not  to  approach  a  sentinel.  The  river,  or  strait,  is  less 
than  a  mile  wide,  and  by  keeping  in  the  centre  of  the  passage, 
the  canoes,  favored  by  both  wind  and  current,  drove  by  the 
town,   then  an  inconsiderable  village,  without  detection.     As 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  470 

«oon  as  far  enough  below,  the  canoes  were  again  cast  loose  from 
each  other,  and  sail  was  made  on  each.  The  water  was  smooth, 
and  some  time  before  the  return  of  light,  the  fugitives  were 
abreast  of  Maiden,  but  in  the  American  channel.  Had  it  been 
otherwise,  the  danger  could  not  have  been  great.  So  completely 
were  the  Americans  subdued  by  Hull's  capitulation,  and  so  nu- 
merous were  the  Indian  allies  of  the  British,  that  the  passage 
of  a  bark  canoe,  more  or  less,  would  hardly  have  attracted  at- 
tention. At  that  time,  Michigan  was  a  province  of  but  little 
more  than  a  name.  The  territory  was  wide,  to  be  sure,  but  the 
entire  population  was  not  larger  than  that  of  a  moderately-sized 
English  market  town,  and  Detroit  was  then  regarded  as  a  dis- 
tant and  isolated  point.  It  is  true  that  Mackinac  and  Chicago 
were  both  more  remote,  and  both  more  isolated,  but  an  English 
force,  in  possession  of  Detroit,  could  be  approached  by  the 
Americans  on  the  side  of  the  land  only  by  overcoming  the  ob- 
stacles of  a  broad  belt  of  difficult  wilderness.  This  was  done 
the  succeeding  year,  it  is  true,  but  time  is  always  necessary  to 
bring  out  Jonathan's  latent  military  energies.  When  aroused, 
they  are  not  trifling,  as  all  his  enemies  have  been  made  to  feel ; 
but  a  good  deal  of  miscalculation,  pretending  ignorance,  and 
useless  talking  must  be  expended,  before  the  really  efficient  are 
allowed  to  set  about  serving  the  country  in  their  own  way. 

In  this  respect,  thanks  to  West  Point,  a  well-organized  staff, 
and  well-educated  officers,  matters  are  a  little  improving.  Con- 
gress has  not  been  able  to  destroy  the  army,  in  the  present  war, 
though  it  did  its  best  to  attain  that  end ;  and  all  because  the 
nucleus  was  too  powerful  to  be  totally  eclipsed  by  the  gas  of  the 
usual  legislative  tail  of  the  Great  National  Comet,  of  which 
neither  the  materials  nor  the  orbit  can  any  man  say  he  knows. 
One  day,  it  declares  war  with  a  hurrah ;  the  next,  it  denies  the 
legislation  necessary  to  carry  it  on,  as  if  it  distrusted  its  own 
acts,  and  already  repented  of  its  patriotism.  And  this  is  the 
body,  soulless,  the  very  school  of  faction,  as  a  whole  of  very 
questionable  quality  in  the  outset,  that,  according  to  certain  ex- 
pounders of  the  constitution,  is  to  perform  all  the  functions  of  a 


480  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

government ;  which  is  not  only  to  pass  laws,  but  is  to  interpret 
them ;  which  is  to  command  the  army,  ay,  even  to  wheeling  its 
platoons  ;  which  reads  the  constitution  as  an  abbe  mumbles  his 
aves  and  paters,  or  looking  at  every  thing  but  his  texts ;  and 
which  is  never  to  have  its  acts  vetoed,  unless  in  cases  where  the 
Supreme  Court  would  spare  the  Executive  that  trouble.  We 
never  yet  could  see  either  the  elements  or  the  fruits  of  this  great 
sanctity  in  the  National  Council.  In  our  eyes  it  is  scarcely 
ever  in  its  proper  place  on  the  railway  of  the  Union,  has  degen- 
erated into  a  mere  electioneering  machine,  performing  the  little 
it  really  does  convulsively,  by  sudden  impulses,  equally  without 
deliberation  or  a  sense  of  responsibility.  In  a  word,  we  deem 
it  the  power  of  all  others  in  the  state  that  needs  the  closest 
watching,  and  were  we  what  is  termed  in  this  country  "  poli- 
ticians," we  should  go  for  the  executive  who  is  the  most  ready 
to  apply  the  curb  to  these  vagaries  of  faction  and  interested  par- 
tisans !  Vetoes.  Would  to  Heaven  we  could  see  the  days  of 
Good  Queen  Bess  revived  for  one  session  of  Congress  at  least, 
and  find  that  more  laws  were  sent  back  for  the  second  thoughts 
of  their  framers  than  were  approved !  Then,  indeed,  might  the 
country  be  brought  back  to  a  knowledge  of  the  very  material 
constitutional  facts  that  the  legislature  is  not  commander-in- 
chief,  does  not  negotiate  or  make  treaties,  and  has  no  right  to 
do  that  which  it  has  done  so  often — appoint  to  office  by  act  of 
Congress. 

As  a  consequence  of  the  little  apprehension  entertained  by 
the  English  of  being  soon  disturbed  in  their  new  conquests,  le 
Bourdon  and  his  friends  got  out  of  the  Detroit  river,  and  into 
Lake  Erie,  without  discovery  or  molestation.  There  still  re- 
mained a  long  journey  before  them.  In  that  day  the  American 
side  of  the  shores  of  all  the  Great  Lakes  was  little  more  than 
a  wilderness.  There  were  exceptions  at  particular  points,  but 
these  were  few  and  far  asunder.  The  whole  coast  of  Ohio — for 
Ohio  has  its  coast  as  well  as  Bohemia* — was  mostly  in  a  state 
of  nature,   as  was  much  of  those  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 

*  Sec  Skakspcare— "  Winter's  Talc.'1 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  481 

York,  on  the  side  of  the  fresh  water.  The  port  which  the  bee- 
hunter  had  in  view  was  Presque  Isle,  now  known  as  Erie,  a 
harbor  in  Pennsylvania,  that  has  since  become  somewhat  cele- 
brated in  consequence  of  its  being  the  port  out  of  which  the 
American  vessels  sailed,  about  a  year  later  than  the  period  of 
which  we  are  writing,  to  fight  the  battle  that  gave  them  the 
mastery  of  the  lake.  This  was  a  little  voyage  of  itself,  of  near 
two  hundred  miles,  following  the  islands  and  the  coast,  but  it 
was  safely  made  in  the  course  of  the  succeeding  week.  Once 
in  Lake  Erie  and  on  the  American  side,  our  adventurers  felt 
reasonably  safe  against  all  dangers  but  those  of  the  elements. 
It  is  true  that  a  renowned  annalist,  whose  information  is  sus- 
tained by  the  collected  wisdom  of  a  State  Historical  Society, 
does  tell  us  that  the  enemy  possessed  both  shores  of  Lake  Erie 
in  1814  ;  but  this  was  so  small  a  mistake,  compared  with  some 
others  that  this  Nestor  in  history  had  made,  that  we  shall  not 
stop  to  explain  it.  Le  Bourdon  and  his  party  found  all  the 
south  shore  of  Lake  Erie  in  possession  of  the  Americans,  so  far 
as  it  was  in  the  possession  of  any  one,  and  consequently  ran  no 
risks  from  this  blunder  of  the  historian  and  his  highly  intelli- 
gent associates ! 

Peter  and  Pigeonswing  left  their  friends  before  they  reached 
Presque  Isle.  The  bee-hunter  gave  them  his  own  canoe,  and 
the  parting  was  not  only  friendly,  but  touching.  In  the  course 
of  their  journey,  and  during  their  many  stops,  Margery  had  fre- 
quently prayed  with  the  great  chief.  His  constant  and  burning 
desire,  now,  was  to  learn  to  read,  that  he  might  peruse  the 
word  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  regulate  his  future  life  by  its  wis- 
dom and  tenets.  Margery  promised,  should  they  ever  meet 
again,  and  under  circumstances  favorable  to  such  a  design,  to 
help  him  attain  his  wishes. 

Pigeonswing  parted  from  his  friend  with  the  same  light- 
hearted  vivacity  as  he  had  manifested  in  all  their  intercourse. 
Le  Bourdon  gave  him  his  own  rifle,  plenty  of  ammunition,  and 
various  other  small  articles  that  were  of  value  to  an  Indian,  ac- 
cepting the  Chippewa's  arms  in  return.  The  exchange,  however, 
21 


482  THE      OAK     OPENINGS. 

was  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  savage.  As  for  Peter,  he 
declined  all  presents.  He  carried  weapons  now,  indeed,  merely 
for  the  purpose  of  hunting ;  but  the  dignity  of  his  character 
and  station  would  have  placed  him  above  such  compensations, 
had  the  fact  been  otherwise. 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  483 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

"  Come  to  the  land  of  peace ! 
Come  where  the  tempest  hath  no  longer  sway, 
The  shadow  passes  from  the  soul  away — 
The  sounds  of  weeping  cease. 

"  Fear  hath  no  dwelling  there ! 
Come  to  the  mingling  of  repose  and  love, 
Breathed  by  the  silent  spirit  of  the  dove, 
Through  the  celestial  air." 

Mrs.  IIemans. 

It  is  now  more  than  thirty-three  years  since  the  last  war 
with  the  English  terminated,  and  about  thirty-six  to  the  sum- 
mer in  which  the  events  recorded  in  this  legend  occurred.  This 
third  of  a  century  has  been  a  period  of  mighty  changes  in 
America.  Ages  have  not  often  brought  about  as  many  in  other 
portions  of  the  earth,  as  this  short  period  of  time  has  given 
birth  to  among  ourselves.  "We  had  written,  thus  far,  on  the 
evidence  of  documents  sent  to  us,  when  an  occasion  offered  to 
verify  the  truth  of  some  of  our  pictures,  at  least,  by  means  of 
personal  observation. 

Quitting  our  own  quiet  and  secluded  abode  in  the  mountains, 
in  the  pleasant  month  of  June,  and  in  this  current  year  of  1848, 
we  descended  into  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  got  into  the  cars, 
and  went  flying  by  rails  toward  the  setting  sun.  Well  could 
we  remember  the  time  when  an  entire  day  was  required  to  pass 
between  that  point  on  the  Mohawk  where  we  got  on  the  rails, 
and  the  little  village  of  Utica.  On  the  present  occasion,  we 
flew  over  the  space  in  less  than  three  hours,  and  dined  in  a 
town  of  some  fifteen  thousand  souls. 

"We  reached  Buffalo,  at  the  foot   of  Lake  Erie,   in  about 


484  THE      OAK      OPENINGS, 

twenty  hours  after  we  had  entered  the  cars.  This  journey 
would  have  been  the  labor  of  more  than  a  week,  at  the  time  in 
which  the  scene  of  this  tale  occurred.  Now,  the  whole  of  the 
beautiful  region,  teeming  with  its  towns  and  villages,  and  rich 
with  the  fruits  of  a  bountiful  season,  was  almost  brought  into  a 
single  landscape  by  the  rapidity  of  our  passage. 

At  Buffalo,  we  turned  aside  to  visit  the  cataract.  Thither, 
too,  we  went  on  rails.  Thirty-eight  years  had  passed  away 
since  we  had  laid  eyes  on  this  wonderful  fall  of  water.  In  the 
intervening  time  we  had  travelled  much,  and  had  visited  many 
of  the  renowned  falls  of  the  old  world,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
great  number  which  are  to  be  found  in  other  parts  of  our  own 
land.  Did  this  visit,  then,  produce  disappointment?  Did  time, 
and  advancing  years,  and  feelings  that  had  become  deadened 
by  experience,  contribute  to  render  the  view  less  striking,  less 
grand,  in  any  way  less  pleasing  than  we  had  hoped  to  find  it  ? 
So  far  from  this,  all  our  expectations  were  much  more  than 
realized.  In  one  particular,  touching  which  we  do  not  remem- 
ber ever  to  have  seen  any  thing  said,  we  were  actually  astonish- 
ed at  the  surpassing  glory  of  Niagara.  It  was  the  character  of 
sweetness,  if  wre  can  so  express  it,  that  glowed  over  the  entire 
aspect  of  the  scene.  We  were  less  struck  with  the  grandeur  of 
this  cataract,  than  with  its  sublime  softness  and  gentleness.  To 
water  in  agitation,  use  had  so  long  accustomed  us,  perhaps,  as 
tn  some  slight  degree  to  lessen  the  feeling  of  awe  that  is  apt  to 
eome  over  the  novice  in  such  scenes  ;  but  we  at  once  felt  our- 
selves attracted  by  the  surpassing  loveliness  of  Niagara.  The 
gulf  below  was  more  imposing  than  we  had  expected  to  see  it, 
but  it  was  Italian  in  hue  and  softness,  amid  its  wildness  and 
grandeur.  Not  a  drop  of  the  water  that  fell  down  that  preci- 
pice inspired  terror ;  for  ev^ry  thing  appeared  to  us  to  be  filled 
with  attraction  and  love.  Like  Italy  itself,  notwithstanding  so 
much  that  is  grand  and  imposing,  the  character  of  softness,  and 
the  witchery  of  the  gentler  properties,  is  the  power  we  should 
ascribe  to  Niagara,  in  preference  to  that  of  its  majesty.  We 
think  this  feeling,  too,  is  more  general  than  is  commonly  sup- 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  485 

posed,  for  we  find  those  who  dwell  near  the  cataract  playing 
around  it,  even  to  the  very  verge  of  its  greatest  fall,  with  a 
species  of  affection,  as  if  they  had  the  fullest  confidence  in  its 
rolling  waters.  Thus  it  is  that  we  see  the  little  steamer,  the 
Maid  of  the  Mist,  paddling  up  quite  near  to  the  green  sheet  of 
the  Horse-Shoe  itself,  and  gliding  down  in  the  current  of  the 
vortex,  as  it  is  compelled  to  quit  the  eddies,  and  come  more  in 
a  line  with  the  main  course  of  the  stream.  Wires,  too,  are 
suspended  across  the  gulf  below,  and  men  pass  it  in  baskets.  It 
is  said  that  one  of  these  inventions  is  to  carry  human  beings 
over  the  main  fall,  so  that  the  adventurer  may  hang  suspended 
in  the  air,  directly  above  the  vortex.  In  this  way  do  men, 
and  even  women,  prove  their  love  for  the  place,  all  of  which 
we  impute  to  its  pervading  character  of  sweetness  and  attrac- 
tion. 

At  Buffalo  we  embarked  in  a  boat  under  the  English  flag, 
which  is  called  the  Canada.  This  shortened  our  passage  to 
Detroit,  by  avoiding  all  the  stops  at  lateral  ports,  and  we  had 
every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  our  selection.  Boat,  com- 
mander, and  the  attendance  were  such  as  would  have  done 
credit  to  any  portion  of  the  civilized  world.  There  were  many- 
passengers,  a  motley  collection,  as  usual,  from  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

Our  attention  wras  early  drawn  to  one  party,  by  the  singular 
beauty  of  its  females.  They  seemed  to  us  to  be  a  grandmother, 
in  a  well-preserved,  green  old  age ;  a  daughter,  but  a  matron  of 
little  less  than  forty ;  and  two  exceedingly  pretty  girls  of  about 
eighteen  and  sixteen,  whom  we  took  to  be  children  of  the  last. 
The  strong  family  likeness  between  these  persons,  led  us  early 
to  make  this  classification,  which  we  afterward  found  was  cor- 
rect. 

By  occasional  remarks,  I  gathered  that  the  girls  had  been  to 
an  "  eastern"  boarding-school,  that  particular  feature  in  civiliza- 
tion not  yet  flourishing  in  the  north-western  states.  It  seemed 
to  us  that  we  could  trace  in  the  dialect  of  the  several  members 
of  this  family,  the  gradations  and  peculiarities  that  denote  the 


486  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

origin  and  habits  of  individuals.  Thus,  the  grandmother  was 
not  quite  as  western  in  her  forms  of  speech  as  her  matronly 
daughter,  while  the  grandchildren  evidently  spoke  under  the 
influence  of  boarding-school  correction,  or  like  girls  who  had 
been  often  lectured  on  the  subject.  "  First  rate,"  and  "Yes, 
sir"  and  "That's  a  fact,11  were  often  in  the  mouth  of  the 
pleasing  mother,  and  even  the  grandmother  used  them  all, 
though  not  as  often  as  her  daughter,  while  the  young  people 
looked  a  little  concerned  and  surprised,  whenever  they  came  out 
of  the  mouth  of  their  frank-speaking  mother.  That  these  per- 
sons were  not  of  a  very  high  social  class,  was  evident  enough, 
even  in  their  language.  There  was  much  occasion  to  mention 
New  York,  we  found,  and  they  uniformly  called  it  "the  city." 
By  no  accident  did  either  of  them  happen  to  use  the  expression 
that  she  had  been  "in  town,"  as  one  of  us  would  be  apt  to  say. 
"He's  gone  to  the  city"  or  "  she's  in  the  city11  are  awkward 
phrases,  and  tant  soit  pen  vulgar ;  but  even  our  pretty  young 
boarding-school  eleves  would  use  them.  We  have  a  horror  of 
the  expression  "city,"  and  are  a  little  fastidious,  perhaps,  touch- 
ing its  use. 

But  these  little  peculiarities  were  spots  on  the  sun.  The  en- 
tire family,  taken  as  a  whole,  was  really  charming ;  and  long 
before  the  hour  for  retiring  came,  we  had  become  much  inter- 
ested in  them  all.  We  found  there  was  a  fifth  person  belong- 
ing to  this  party,  who  did  not  make  his  appearance  that  night. 
From  the  discourse  of  these  females,  however,  it  was  easy  to 
glean  the  following  leading  facts  :  This  fifth  person  was  a  male ; 
he  was  indisposed,  and  kept  his  berth ;  and  he  was  quite  aged. 
Several  nice  little  dishes  were  carried  from  the  table  into  his 
state-room  that  evening,  by  one  or  the  other  of  the  young  sis- 
ters, and  each  of  the  party  appeared  anxious  to  contribute  to 
the  invalid's  comfort.  All  this  sympathy  excited  our  interest, 
and  we  had  some  curiosity  to  see  this  old  man,  long  ere  it  was 
time  to  retire.  As  for  the  females,  no  name  was  mentioned 
among  them  but  that  of  a  Mrs.  Osborne,  who  was  once  or  twice 
alluded  to  in  full.    It  was  "grand-ma,"  and  "ma,"  and  "Dolly," 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  487 

and  "  sis."  We  should  have  liked  it  better  had  it  been  "mother," 
and  "  grandmother,"  and  that  the  "sis"  had  been  called 
Betsey  or  Molly ;  but  we  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  ex- 
hibiting these  amiable  and  good-looking  strangers  as  models 
of  refinement.  "Ma"  and  "sis"  did  well  enough,  all  things 
considered,  though  "  mamma"  would  have  been  better  if  they 
were  not  sufficiently  polished  to  say  "mother." 

We  had  a  pleasant  night  of  it,  and  all  the  passengers  appeared 
next  morning  with  smiling  faces.  It  often  blows  heavily  on  that 
lake,  but  light  airs  off  the  land  were  all  the  breezes  wTe  encoun- 
tered. We  were  among  the  first  to  turn  out,  and  on  the  upper 
deck  forward,  a  place  where  the  passengers  are  fond  of  collect- 
ing, as  it  enables  them  to  look  ahead,  we  found  a  single  indi- 
vidual who  immediately  drew  all  of  our  attention  to  himself. 
It  was  an  aged  man,  with  hair  already  as  white  as  snow.  Still 
there  was  that  in  his  gait,  attitudes,  and  all  his  movements 
which  indicated  physical  vigor,  not  to  say  the  remains,  at  least, 
of  great  elasticity  and  sinewy  activity.  Aged  as  he  was,  and 
he  must  have  long  since  passed  his  fourscore  years,  his  form  was 
erect  as  that  of  a  youth.  In  stature,  he  was  of  rather  more 
than  middle  height,  and  in  movements,  deliberate  and  dignified. 
His  dress  was  quite  plain,  being  black,  and  according  to  the 
customs  of  the  day.  The  color  of  his  face  and  hands,  however, 
as  well  as  the  bold  outlines  of  his  countenance,  and  the  still 
keen,  restless,  black  eye,  indicated  the  Indian. 

Here,  then,  was  a  civilized  red  man,  and  it  struck  us  at  once, 
that  he  was  an  ancient  child  of  the  forest,  who  had  been  made 
to  feel  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  One  seldom  hesitates  about 
addressing  an  Indian,  and  we  commenced  a  discourse  with  our 
venerable  fellow-passenger,  with  very  little  circumlocution  or 
ceremony. 

"Good  morning,  sir,"  we  observed — "a  charming  time  we 
have  of  it,  on  the  lake." 

"Yes — good  time — "  returned  my  red  neighbor,  speaking 
short  and  clipped,  like  an  Indian,  but  pronouncing  his  words  as 
if  long  accustomed  to  the  language. 


488  THE     OAK     OPENINGS. 

"  These  steamboats  are  great  inventions  for  the  western 
lakes,  as  are  the  railroads  for  this  vast  inland  region.  I  dare 
say  you  can  remember  Lake  Erie  when  it  was  an  unnsnal  thing 
to  see  a  sail  of  any  sort  on  it ;  and  now,  I  should  think,  we 
might  count  fifty." 

"Yes — great  change — great  change,  friend! — all  change 
from  ole  time." 

'-  The  traditions  of  your  people,  no  doubt,  give  you  reason  to 
see  and  feel  all  this  ?" 

The  predominant  expression  of  this  red  man's  countenance 
was  that  of  love.  On  every  thing,  on  every  human  being  to- 
ward whom  he  turned  his  still  expressive  eyes,  the  looks  he 
gave  them  would  seem  to  indicate  interest  and  affection.  This 
expression  was  so  decided  and  peculiar,  that  we  early  remarked 
it,  and  it  drew  us  closer  and  closer  to  the  old  chief,  the  longer 
we  remained  in  his  company.  That  expression,  however, 
slightly  changed  when  we  made  this  allusion  to  the  traditions 
of  his  people,  and  a  cloud  passed  before  his  countenance.  This 
change,  nevertheless,  was  as  transient  as  it  was  sudden,  the 
benevolent  and  gentle  look  returning  almost  as  soon  as  it  had 
disappeared.  He  seemed  anxious  to  atone  for  this  involuntary 
expression  of  regrets  for  the  past,  by  making  his  communica- 
tions to  me  as  free  as  they  could  be. 

"My  tradition  say  a  great  deal,"  was  the  answer.  "  It  say 
some  good,  some  bad." 

"May  I  ask  of  what  tribe  you  arc  f" 

The  red  man  turned  his  eyes  on  us  kindly,  as  if  to  lessen  any 
thing  ungracious  there  might  be  in  his  refusal  to  answer,  and 
with  an  expression  of  benevolence  that  we  scarcely  remember 
ever  to  have  seen  equalled.  Indeed,  we  might  say  with  truth, 
that  the  love  which  shone  out  of  this  old  man's  countenance 
habitually,  surpassed  that  which  we  can  recall  as  belonging  to 
any  other  human  face.  He  seemed  to  be  at  peace  with  him 
self,  and  with  all  the  other  children  of  Adam. 

"  Tribe  make  no  difference,"  he  answered.  "All  children 
Df  same  Great  Spirit." 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS*  489 

"Red  men  and  pale-faces?"  I  asked,  not  a  little  surprised 
with  his  reply. 

"Bed  man  and  pale-face.  Christ  die  for  all,  and  his  Fadder 
make  all.  No  difference,  excep'  in  color.  Color  only  skin 
deep." 

"  Do  you,  then,  look  on  us  pale-faces  as  having  a  right  here  ? 
Do  you  not  regard  us  as  invaders,  as  enemies  who  have  come 
to  take  away  your  lands?" 

"Injin  don't  own 'arth.  'Arth  belong  to  God,  and  he  send 
whom  he  like  to  live  on  it.  One  time  he  send  Injin  ;  now  he 
send  pale-face.  His  'arth,  and  he  do  what  he  please  wid  it. 
Nobody  any  right  to  complain.  Bad  to  find  fault  wid  Great 
Spirit.  All  he  do,  right ;  nebber  do  any  t'ing  bad.  His  blessed~ 
Son  die  for  all  color,  and  all  color  muss  bow  down  at  his  holy 
name.  Dat  what  clis  good  book  say,"  showing  a  small  pocket 
Bible,  "and  what  dis  good  book  say  come  from  Great  Spirit, 
himself." 

"You  read  the  Holy  Scriptures,  then — you  are  an  educated 
Indian?" 

"No;  can't  read  at  all.  Don't  know  how.  Try  hard,  but 
too  ole  to  begin.  Got  young  eyes,  however,  to  help  me,"  he 
added,  with  one  of  the  fondest  smiles  I  ever  saw  light  a  human 
face,  as  he  turned  to  meet  the  pretty  Dolly's  "  good  morning, 
Peter,"  and  to  shake  the  hand  of  the  elder  sister.  "She  read 
good  book  for  old  Injin,  when  he  want  her  ;  and  when  she  off 
at  school,  in  "city,"  den  her  mudder,  or  her  gran'mudder 
read  for  him.  Fuss  begin  wid  gran'mudder ;  now  get  down 
to  gran'da'ghter.  But  good  book  all  de  same,  let  who  will 
read  it." 

This,  then,  was  "  Scalping  Peter,"  the  very  man  I  was  trav- 
elling into  Michigan  to  see,  but  how  wonderfully  changed ! 
The  Spirit  of  the  Most  High  God  had  been  shed  freely  upon 
his  moral  being,  and  in  lieu  of  the  revengeful  and  vindictive 
savage,  he  now  lived  a  subdued,  benevolent  Christian  !  In 
every  human  being  he  beheld  a  brother,  and  no  longer  thought 
of  destroying  races,  in  order  to  secure  to  his  own  people  the 


480  THE     OAK      OPENINGS. 

quiet  possession  of  their  hunting-grounds.  His  very  soul  was 
love ;  and  no  doubt  he  felt  himself  strong  enough  to  M  bless 
those  who  cursed  him,"  and  to  give  up  his  spirit,  like  the  good 
missionary  whose  death  had  first  turned  him  toward  the 
worship  of  the  one  true  God,  praying  for  those  who  took  his 
life. 

The  ways  of  Divine  Providence  are  past  the  investigations 
of  human  reason.  How  often,  in  turning  over  the  pages  of 
history,  do  we  find  civilization,  the  arts,  moral  improvement, 
nay,  Christianity  itself,  following  the  bloody  train  left  by  the 
conqueror's  car,  and  good  pouring  in  upon  a  nation  by  avenues 
that  at  first  were  teeming  only  with  the  approaches  of  seeming 
evils  !  In  this  way,  there  is  now  reason  to  hope  that  America 
is  about  to  pay  the  debt  she  owes  to  Africa  ;  and  in  this  way 
will  the  invasion  of  the  forests,  and  prairies,  and  "  openings," 
of  the  red  man  be  made  to  atone  for  itself  by  carrying  with  it 
the  blessings  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  juster  view  of  the  relations 
which  man  bears  to  his  Creator.  Possibly  Mexico  may  derive 
lasting  benefits  from  the  hard  lesson  that  she  has  so  recently 
been  made  to  endure. 

This,  then,  was  Peter,  changed  into  a  civilized  man  and  a 
Christian !  I  have  found,  subsequently,  that  glimmerings  of  the 
former  being  existed  in  his  character ;  but  they  showed  them- 
selves only  at  long  intervals,  and  under  very  peculiar  circum- 
stances. The  study  of  these  traits  became  a  subject  of  great 
interest  with  us,  for  we  now  travelled  in  company  the  rest  of 
our  journey.  The  elder  lady,  or  "  grandma,"  was  the  Margery 
of  our  tale ;  still  handsome,  spirited,  and  kind.  The  younger 
matron  was  her  daughter  and  only  child,  and  "  Sis,"  another 
Margery,  and  Dorothy,  were  her  grandchildren.  There  was 
also  a  son,  or  a  grandson  rather,  Ben,  who  was  on  Prairie 
Eound,  u  with  the  general."  The  "general"  was  our  old 
friend,  le  Bourdon,  who  was  still  as  often  called  "General  Bour- 
don," as  "  General  Boden."  This  matter  of  "  generals"  at  the 
west,  is  a  little  overdone,  as  all  ranks  and  titles  are  somewhat 
apt  to  be  in  new  countries.     It  causes  one  often  to  smile,  at  the 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  491 

east ;  and  no  wonder  that  an  eastern  habit  should  go  down  in 
all  its  glory,  beneath  the  "  setting  sun."  In  after  days,  generals 
will  not  be  quite  as  "  plenty  as  blackberries." 

No  sooner  did  Mrs.  Boden,  or  Margery,  to  use  her  familiar 
name,  learn  that  we  were  the  very  individual  to  whom  the 
"  general"  had  sent  the  notes  relative  to  his  early  adventures, 
which  had  been  prepared  by  the  "Rev.  Mr.  Varse,"  of  Kalama- 
zoo, than  she  became  as  friendly  and  communicative  as  we  could 
possibly  desire. 

Her  own  life  had  been  prosperous,  and  her  marriage  happy. 
Her  brother,  however,  had  fallen  back  into  his  old  habits,  and 
died  ere  the  war  of  1812  was  ended.  Dorothy  had  returned 
to  her  friends  in  Massachusetts,  and  was  still  living,  in  a  com- 
fortable condition,  owing  to  a  legacy  from  an  uncle.  The  bee- 
hunter  had  taken  the  field  in  that  war,  and  had  seen  some 
sharp  fighting  on  the  banks  of  the  Niagara.  No  sooner  was 
peace  made,  however,  than  he  returned  to  his  beloved  Open- 
ings, where  he  had  remained,  "  growing  with  the  country,"  as 
it  is  termed,  until  he  was  now  what  is  deemed  a  rich  man  in 
Michigan.  He  has  a  plenty  of  land,  and  that  which  is  good  ; 
a  respectable  dwelling,  and  is  out  of  debt.  He  meets  his  obli- 
gations to  an  eastern  man  just  as  promptly  as  he  meets  those 
contracted  at  home,  and  regards  the  United  States,  and  not 
Michigan,  as  his  country.  All  these  were  good  traits,  and  we 
were  glad  to  learn  that  they  existed  in  one  who  already  possess- 
ed so  much  of  our  esteem.  At  Detroit  we  found  a  fine  flourish- 
ing town,  of  a  healthful  and  natural  growth,  and  with  a  popu- 
lation that  was  fast  approaching  twenty  thousand.  The  shores 
of  the  beautiful  strait  on  which  it  stands,  and  which,  by  a 
strange  blending  of  significations  and  languages,  is  popularly 
called  the  "  Detroit  Biver,"  were  alive  with  men  and  their  ap- 
pliances, and  we  scarce  know  where  to  turn  to  find  a  more 
agreeable  landscape  than  that  which  was  presented  to  us,  after 
passing  the  island  of  "Bobolo"  (Bois  Blanc),  near  Maiden. 
Altogether,  it  resembled  a  miniature  picture  of  Constantinople, 
without  its  eastern  peculiarities. 


192  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

At  Detroit  commenced  our  surprise  at  the  rapid  progress  of 
western  civilization.  It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  period 
of  our  tale,  the  environs  of  Detroit  excepted,  the  whole  penin- 
sula of  Michigan  lay  in  a  state  of  nature.  Nor  did  the  process 
of  settlement  commence  actively  until  about  twenty  years  since; 
but,  owing  to  the  character  of  the  country,  it  already  possesses 
many  of  the  better  features  of  a  long-inhabited  region.  There 
are  stumps,  of  course,  for  new  fields  are  constantly  coming  into 
cultivation  ;  but  on  the  whole,  the  appearance  is  that  of  a  mid- 
dle-aged, rather  than  that  of  a  new  region. 

We  left  Detroit  on  a  railroad,  rattling  away  toward  the  set- 
ting sun,  at  a  good  speed  even  for  that  mode  of  conveyance. 
It  seemed  to  us  that  our  route  was  well  garnished  with  large 
villages,  of  which  we  must  have  passed  through  a  dozen,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours'  "railing."  These  are  places  varying  in 
size  from  one  to  three  thousand  inhabitants.  The  vegetation 
certainly  surpassed  that  of  even  western  New  York,  the  trees 
alone  excepted.  The  whole  country  was  a  wheat-field,  and  we 
now  began  to  understand  how  America  could  feed  the  world. 
Our  road  lay  among  the  "  Openings"  much  of  the  way,  and  we 
found  them  undergoing  the  changes  which  are  incident  to  the 
passage  of  civilised  men.  As  the  periodical  fires  had  now  ceas- 
ed for  many  years,  underbrush  was  growing  in  lieu  of  the  natu- 
ral grass,  and  in  so  much  those  groves  are  less  attractive  than 
formerly ;  but  one  easily  comprehends  the  reason,  and  can  pic- 
ture to  himself  the  aspect  that  these  pleasant  woods  must  have 
worn  in  times  of  old. 

We  left  the  railroad  at  Kalamazoo — an  unusually  pretty  vil- 
lage, on  the  banks  of  the  stream  of  that  name.  Those  who  laid 
out  this  place,  some  fifteen  years  since,  had  the  taste  to  pre- 
serve most  of  its  trees ;  and  the  houses  and  grounds  that  stand 
a  little  apart  from  the  busiest  streets — and  they  are  numerous 
for  a  place  of  rather  more  than  two  thousand  souls — are  particu- 
larly pleasant  to  the  eye,  on  account  of  the  shade,  and  the  ru- 
ral pictures  they  present.  Here  Mrs.  Boden  told  us  we  were 
within  a  mile  or  two  of  the  very  spot  where  once  had  stood 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  493 

Castle  Meal  {Chateau  au  Miel),  though  the  "general1'  had 
finally  established  himself  at  Schoolcraft,  on  Prairie  Ronde. 

The  first  prairie  we  had  ever  seen  was  on  the  road  between 
Detroit  and  Kalamazoo ;  distant  from  the  latter  place  only  some 
eight  or  nine  miles.  The  axe  had  laid  the  country  open  in  its 
neighborhood  ;  but  the  spot  was  easily  to  be  recognized  by  the 
air  of  cultivation  and  age  that  pervaded  it.  There  was  not  a 
stump  on  it,  and  \ke  fields  were  as  smooth  as  any  on  the  plains 
of  Lombardy,  and  far  more  fertile,  rich  as  the  last  are  known 
to  be.  In  a  word,  the  beautiful  perfection  of  that  little  natural 
meadow  became  apparent  at  once,  though  seated  amid  a  land- 
scape that  was  by  no  means  wanting  in  interest  of  its  own. 

We  passed  the  night  at  the  village  of  Kalamazoo ;  but  the 
party  of  females,  with  old  Peter,  proceeded  on  to  Prairie 
Round,  as  that  particular  part  of  the  country  is  called  in  the 
dialect  of  Michigan,  it  being  a  corruption  of  the  old  French 
name  of  la  prairie  ronde.  The  Round  Meadow  does  not 
sound  as  well  as  Prairie  Round,  and  the  last  being  quite  as  clear 
a  term  as  the  other,  though  a  mixture  of  the  two  languages, 
we  prefer  to  use  it.  Indeed,  the  word  "prairie"  may  now  be 
said  to  be  adopted  into  the  English  ;  meaning  merely  a  natural, 
instead  of  an  artificial  meadow,  though  one  of  peculiar  and 
local  characteristics.  We  wrote  a  note  to  General  Boden,  as  I 
found  our  old  acquaintance  Ben  Boden  was  universally  termed, 
letting  him  know  I  should  visit  Schoolcraft  next  day  ;  not 
wishing  to  intrude  at  the  moment  when  that  charming  family 
was  just  reunited  after  so  long  a  separation. 

The  next  day,  accordingly,  we  got  into  a  "buggy"  and  went 
our  way.  The  road  was  slightly  sandy  a  good  part  of  the 
twelve  miles  we  had  to  travel,  though  it  became  less  so  as  we 
drew  near  to  the  celebrated  prairie.  And  celebrated,  and  that 
by  an  abler  pen  than  ours,  does  this  remarkable  place  deserve 
to  be  !  We  found  all  our  expectations  concerning  it  fully  re- 
alized, and  drove  through  the  scene  of  abundance  it  presented 
with  an  admiration  that  was  not  entirely  free  from  awe. 

To  get  an  idea  of  Prairie  Round,  the  reader  must  imagine  an 


494  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

oval  plain  of  some  five-and-twenty  or  thirty  thousand  acres  in 
extent,  of  the  most  surpassing  fertility,  without  an  eminence  of 
any  sort — almost  without  an  inequality.  There  are  a  few  small 
cavities,  however,  in  which  there  are  springs  that  form  large 
pools  of  water  that  the  cattle  will  drink.  This  plain,  so  far  as  we 
saw  it,  is  now  entirely  fenced  and  cultivated.  The  fields  are 
large,  many  containing  eighty  acres,  and  some  one  hundred  and 
sixty  ;  most  of  them  being  in  wheat.  We  saw  several  of  this 
size  in  that  grain.  Farm-houses  dotted  the  surface,  with  barns, 
and  the  other  accessories  of  rural  life.  In  the  centre  of  the 
prairie  is  an  "  island"  of  forest,  containing  some  five  or  six  hun- 
dred acres  of  the  noblest  native  trees  we  remember  ever  to  have 
seen.  In  the  centre  of  this  wood  is  a  little  lake,  circular  in 
shape,  and  exceeding  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  diameter.  The  walk 
in  this  wood — which  is  not  an  Opening,  but  an  old-fashioned 
virgin  forest — we  found  delightful  of  a  warm  summer's  day.  One 
thing  that  we  saw  in  it  was  characteristic  of  the  country.  Some 
of  the  nearest  farmers  had  drawn  their  manure  into  it,  where  it 
lay  in  large  piles,  in  order  to  get  it  out  of  the  way  of  doing  any 
mischief.  Its  effect  on  the  land,  it  was  thought,  would  be  to 
bring  too  much  straw ! 

On  one  side  of  this  island  of  wood  lies  the  little  village  or 
large  hamlet  of  Schoolcraft.  Here  we  were  most  cordially  wel- 
comed by  General  Boden,  and  all  of  his  fine  descendants.  The 
head  of  this  family  is  approaching  seventy,  but  is  still  hale  and 
hearty.  His  head  is  as  white  as  snow,  and  his  face  as  red  as  a 
cherry.  A  finer  old  man  one  seldom  sees.  Temperance,  ac- 
tivity, the  open  air,  and  a  good  conscience,  have  left  him  a  no- 
ble ruin  ;  if  ruin  he  can  yet  be  called.  He  owes  the  last  bless- 
ing, as  he  told  us  himself,  to  the  fact  that  he  kept  clear  of  the 
whirlwind  of  speculation  that  passed  over  this  region  some  ten 
or  fifteen  years  since.  His  means  are  ample ;  and  the  harvest 
being  about  to  commence,  he  invited  me  to  the  field. 

The  peculiar  ingenuity  of  the  American  has  supplied  the 
want  of  laborers,  in  a  country  where  agriculture  is  carried  on 
by  wholesale,  especially  in  the  cereals,  by  an  instrument  of  the 


THE     OAK     OPENINGS.  495 

most  singular  and  elaborate  construction.  This  machine  is 
drawn  by  sixteen  or  eighteen  horses,  attached  to  it  laterally,  so 
as  to  work  clear  of  the  standing  grain,  and  who  move  the  whole 
fabric  on  a  moderate  but  steady  walk.  A  path  is  first  cut  with 
the  cradle  on  one  side  of  the  field,  when  the  machine  is  dragged 
into  the  open  place.  Here  it  enters  the  standing  grain,  cutting 
off  its  heads  with  the  utmost  accuracy  as  it  moves.  Forks  be- 
neath prepare  the  way,  and  a  rapid  vibratory  motion  of  a  great 
number  of  two-edged  knives  effect  the  object.  The  stalks  of 
the  grain  can  be  cut  as  low  or  as  high  as  one  pleases,  but  it  is 
usually  thought  best  to  take  only  the  heads.  Afterward  the 
standing  straw  is  burned,  or  fed  off,  upright. 

The  impelling  power  which  causes  the  great  fabric  to  advance, 
also  sets  in  motion  the  machinery  within  it.  As  soon  as  the 
heads  of  the  grain  are  severed  from  the  stalks,  they  pass  into  a 
receptacle,  where,  by  a  very  quick  and  simple  process,  the  ker- 
nels are  separated  from  the  husks.  Thence  all  goes  into  a 
fanning  machine,  where  the  chaff  is  blown  away.  The  clean 
grain  falls  into  a  small  bin,  whence  it  is  raised  by  a  screw 
elevator  to  a  height  that  enables  it  to  pass  out  at  an  opening  to 
which  a  bag  is  attached.  Wagons  follow  the  slow  march  of  the 
machine,  and  the  proper  number  of  men  are  in  attendance. 
Bag  after  bag  is  renewed,  until  a  wagon  is  loaded,  when  it  at 
once  proceeds  to  the  mill,  where  the  grain  is  soon  converted  into 
flour.  Generally  the  husbandman  sells  to  the  miller,  but  occa- 
sionally he  pays  for  making  the  flour,  and  sends  the  latter  off, 
by  railroad,  to  Detroit,  whence  it  finds  its  way  to  Europe,  possi- 
bly, to  help  feed  the  millions  of  the  old  world.  Such,  at  least, 
was  the  course  of  trade  the  past  season.  As  respects  this  inge- 
nious machine,  it  remains  only  to  say  that  it  harvests,  cleans, 
and  bags  from  twenty  to  thirty  acres  of  heavy  wheat,  in  the 
course  of  a  single  summer's  day  !  Altogether  it  is  a  gigantic  in- 
vention, well  adapted  to  meet  the  necessities  of  a  gigantic 
country. 

Old  Peter  went  afield  with  us  that  day.  There  he  stood, 
like  a  striking  monument  of  a  past  that  was  still  so  recent  and, 


496  THE      OAK      OPENINGS. 

wonderful.  On  that  very  prairie,  which  was  now  teeming  with 
the  appliances  of  civilization,  he  had  hunted  and  held  his  savage 
councils.  On  that  prairie  had  he  meditated,  or  consented  to 
the  deaths  of  the  young  couple,  whose  descendants  were  now 
dwelling  there,  amid  abundance,  and  happy.  "Nothing  but  the 
prayers  of  the  dying  missionary,  in  behalf  of  his  destroyers,  had 
prevented  the  dire  consummation. 

We  were  still  in  the  field,  when  General  Boden's  attention 
was  drawn  toward  the  person  of  another  guest.  This,  too,  was 
an  Indian,  old  like  himself,  but  not  clad  like  Peter,  in  the  vest- 
ments of  the  whites.  The  attire  of  this  sinewy  old  man  was  a 
mixture  of  that  of  the  two  races.  He  wore  a  hunting-shirt, 
moccasins,  and  a  belt;  but  he  also  wore  trowsers,  and  other- 
wise had  brought  himself  within  the  habits  of  conventional 
decency.  It  was  Pigeonswing,  the  Chippewa,  come  to  pay  his 
annual  visit  to  his  friend,  the  bee-hunter.  The  meeting  was 
cordial,  and  we  afterward  ascertained  that  when  the  old  man 
departed,  he  went  away  loaded  with  gifts  that  would  render 
him  comfortable  for  a  twelvemonth. 

But  Peter,  after  all,  was  the  great  centre  of  interest  with  us. 
We  could  admire  the  General's  bee-hives,  which  were  numer- 
ous and  ingenious ;  could  admire  his  still  handsome  Margery, 
and  all  their  blooming  descendants  ;  and  were  glad  when  we 
discovered  that  our  old  friend — made  so  by  means  of  a  knowl- 
edge of  his  character,  if  not  by  actual  acquaintance — was  much 
improved  in  mind,  was  a  sincere  Christian,  and  had  been  a 
Senator  of  his  own  State  ;  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Such  a  career,  however,  has  nothing  peculiar  in 
America;  it  is  one  of  every-day  occurrence,  and  shows  the 
power  of  man  when  left  free  to  make  his  own  exertions ;  while 
that  of  the  Scalping  Peter  indicated  the  power  of  God.  There 
he  was,  living  in  the  midst  of  the  hated  race,  loving  and  be- 
loved ;  wishing  naught  but  blessings  on  all  colors  alike  ;  look- 
ing back  upon  his  traditions  and  superstitions  with  a  sort  of 
melancholy  interest,  as  we  all  portray  in  our  memories  the 
scenes,  legends,  and  feelings  of  an  erring  childhood. 


THE      OAK      OPENINGS.  497 

We  were  walking  in  tlie  garden,  after  dinner,  and  looking  at 
the  Lives.  There  were  the  general,  Margery,  Peter,  and  our- 
selves. The  first  was  loud  in  praise  of  his  buzzing  friends,  for 
whom  it  was  plain  he  still  entertained  a  lively  regard.  The  old 
Indian,  at  first,  was  sad.  Then  he  smiled,  and,  turning  to  us, 
he  spoke  earnestly  and  with  some  of  his  ancient  fire  and  elo- 
quence. 

"  Tell  me  you  make  a  book,"  he  said.  "  In  dat  book  tell 
trut'.  You  see  me — poor  ole  Injin.  My  fadder  was  chief — I 
was  great  chief,  but  we  was  children.  Knowed  nuttin'.  Like 
little  child,  dough  great  chief.  Believe  tradition.  T'ink  dis 
'arth  flat — t'ink  Injin  could  scalp  all  pale-face — t'ink  tomahawk, 
and  war-path,  and  rifle,  bess  t'ings  in  whole  world.  In  dat 
day,  my  heart  was  stone.  Afraid  of  Great  Spirit,  but  didn't 
love  Him.  In  dat  time  I  t'ink  General  could  talk  wid  bee. 
Yes ;  was  very  foolish  den.  Now,  all  dem  cloud  blow  away, 
and  I  see  my  Fadder  dat  is  in  Heaven.  His  face  shine  on  me, 
day  and  night,  and  I  never  get  tired  of  looking  at  it.  I  see 
Him  smile,  I  see  Him  lookin5  at  poor  ole  Injin,  as  if  he  want 
him  to  come  nearer ;  sometime  I  see  Him  frown  and  dat  scare 
me.     Den  I  pray,  and  his  frown  go  away. 

"  Stranger,  love  God.  B'lieve  his  Blessed  Son,  who  pray 
for  dem  dat  kill  Him.  Injin  don't  do  that.  Injin  not  strong 
enough  to  do  so  good  t'ing.  It  want  de  Holy  Spirit  to 
strengthen  de  heart,  afore  man  can  do  so  great  t'ing.  When 
he  got  de  force  of  de  Holy  Spirit,  de  heart  of  stone  is  changed 
to  de  heart  of  woman,  and  we  all  be  ready  to  bless  our  enemy 
and  die.  I  have  spoken.  Let  dem  dat  read  your  book  under- 
stand." 


\    j 


GKACE  AGUILAR'S  WORKS. 


HOME  INFLUENCE. 
MOTHER'S  RECOMPENSE. 
VALE  OE  CEDARS. 
WOMAN'S  FRIENDSHIP. 


DAYS  OF  BRUCE. 
WOMEN  OF  ISRAEL. 
HOME  SCENES  AND  HEART 
STUDIES. 


1  vol.,  12mo,  Illustrated,  price  $1,  with  a  Memoir  of  the  Author ^ 

HOME  INFLUENCE, 

A  TALE  FOR  MOTHERS  AND  DAUGHTERS. 

By  GKACE  AGUILAH. 


"  Grace  Aguilar  wrote  and  spoke  as  one  inspired ;  she  condensed  and 
spiritualized,  and  all  her  thoughts  and  feelings  were  steeped  in  the  essence 
of  celestial  love  and  truth.  To  those  who  really  knew  Grace  Aguilar,  all 
eulogium  falls  short  of  her  deserts,  and  she  has  left  a  blank  in  her  particular 
walk  of  literature,  which  we  never  expect  to  see  filled  up."— Pilgrimages  to 
English  Shrines,  by  Mrs,  Hall. 

"A  clever  and  interesting  tale,  corresponding  well  to  its  name,  illustrat- 
ing the  silent,  constant  influence  of  a  wise  and  affectionate  parent  over 
characters  the  most  diverse."—  Christian  Lady's  Magazine. 

"  This  interesting  volume  unquestionably  contains  many  valuable  hints 
on  domestic  education,  much  powerful  writing,  and  a  moral  of  vast  impor 
tance."— Englishwoman's  Magazine. 

"It  is  very  pleasant,  after  reading  a  book,  to  speak  of  it  in  terms  of  high 
commendation.  The  tale  before  us  is  an  admirable  one,  and  is  executed 
with  taste  and  ability.  The  language  is  beautiful  and  appropriate ;  the  anal- 
ysis of  character  is  skilful  and  varied.  The  work  ought  to  be  in  the  hands 
of  all  who  are  interested  in  the  proper  training  of  the  youthful  mind."— Pal- 
ladium. 

*'  In  reviewing  this  work,  we  hardly  know  what  words  in  the  English 
language  are  strong  enough  to  express  the  admiration  we  have  felt  in  its 
perusal."— Bucks  Chronicle. 

"  The  object  and  end.  of  the  writings  of  Grace  Aguilar  were  to  improve 
the  heart,  and  to  lead  her  readers  to  the  consideration  of  higher  motives  and 
objects  than  this  world  can  ever  afford." — BeWs  Weekly  Messenger. 

" 4  Home  Influence  ■  will  not  be  forgotten  by  any  who  have  perused  it."— 
Critic. 

"  A  well-known  and  valuable  tale."— Gentleman's  Magazine. 

**  A  work  which  possesses  an  extraordinary  amount  of  influence  to  elevate 
the  mind  and  educate  the  heart,  by  showing  that  rectitude  and  virtue  con- 
duce no  less  to  material  prosperity,  and  worldly  comfort  and  happiness,  than 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  conscience,  the  approval  of  the  good,  and  the  hopa 
*nd  certainty  of  bliss  hereafter."— Herts  County  Press. 


Kew  York :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO. 


GRACE  AGUILAR' 8    WORKS. 


THE  SEQUEL  TO  HOME  INFLUENCE. 


THE  MOTHER'S  RECOMPENSE. 

A  SEQUEL   TO 

u  Home  Influence,  a  Tale  for  Mothers  and  Daughters" 

By  GHACE  AGTJILAB. 

1  Vol.,  12mo.    Cloth.    $1.    With  Illustrations. 


11  Grace  Aguilar  belonged  to  the  school  of  which  Maria  Edgeworth  waa 
the  foundress.  The  design  of  the  hook  is  carried  out  forcibly  and  constantly, 
*  The  Home  Influence '  exercised  in  earlier  years  being  shown  in  its  active 
germination."— Atlas, 

"  The  writings  of  Grace  Aguilar  have  a  charm  inseparable  from  produc- 
tions in  which  feeling  is  combined  with  intellect ;  they  go  directly  to  the 
heart.  l  Home  Influence,'  the  deservedly  popular  story  to  which  this  is  a 
sequel,  admirably  teaches  the  lesson  implied  in  its  name.  In  the  present 
tale  we  have  the  same  freshness,  earnestness,  and  zeal — the  same  spirit  of 
devotion,  and  love  of  virtue — the  same  enthusiasm  and  sincere  religion  which 
characterized  that  earlier  work.  We  behold  the  mother  now  blessed  in  the 
love  of  good  and  affectionate  offspring,  who,  parents  themselves,  are,  after 
her  example,  training  their  children  in  the  way  of  rectitude  and  piety." — 
Morning  Chronicle. 

"  This  beautiful  story  was  completed  when,  the  authoress  was  little  above 
the  age  of  nineteen,  yet  it  has  the  sober  sense  of  middle  age.  There  is  no 
age  nor  sex  that  will  not  profit  by  its  perusal,  and  it  will  afford  as  much 
pleasure  as  profit  to  the  reader." —  Critic. 

"The  same  kindly  spirit,  the  same  warm. charity  and  fervor  of  devotion 
which  breathes  in  every  line  of  that  admirable  book,  'Home  Influence,'  will 
be  found  adorning  and  inspiring  '  The  Mother's  Recompense.1  "—Morning 
Advertiser. 

"The  good  which  she  (Grace  Aguilar)  has  effected  is  acknowledged  on 
all  hands,  and  it  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  the  appearance  of  this  volume 
will  increase  the  usefulness  of  one  who  may  yet  be  said  to  be  still  speaking 
to  the  heart  and  to  the  affections  of  human  nature." — BelPs  Messenger, 

"  It  will  be  found  an  interesting  supplement,  not  only  to  the  book  to 
which  it  specially  relates,  hut  to  all  the  writer's  other  works."—  Gentleman'' a 
Magazine. 

utThe  Mother's  Recompense'  forms  a  fitting  close  to  its  predecessor, 
4  Home  Influence.'  The  results  of  maternal  care  are  fully  developed,  its  rich 
rewards  are  set  forth,  and  its  lesson  and  its  moral  are  powerfully  enforced." 
—Morning  Post. 

"  We  heartily  commend  this  volume ;  a  better  or  more  useful  present  to 
a  youthful  friend  or  a  young  wife  could  not  well  be  selected."— Herts  Count j 


New  York:  D.  APPLETOtf  &'C0. 


GRACE  AGUILAR?  S    WORKS. 


THE  DAYS   OF  BRUCE. 

A  Story  front  Scottish  History* 

BY   GRACE    AGUILAR. 
With  Illustrations.     2  vols.,  12zno.    Cloth,  $2.00. 

"We  "have  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  interest  it  awakens  io 
different  classes  of  readers,  and  in  no  instance  has  it  failed  to  rivet  attention, 
•nd  to  induce  a  hfeh  estimate  of  the  author's  powers.  Miss  Aguilar  was 
evidently  well  read  in  the  times  of  Bruce.  It  is  long  since  we  met  with  a 
work  which  combines  so  happily  the  best  qualities  of  historical  fiction." — 
Eclectic  ^Review. 

"  The  life  of  the  hero  of  Bannockburn  has  furnished  matter  for  innumer- 
able tales  in  prose  and  verse,  but  we  have  met  with  no  records  of  tbat 
famous  era  so  instructive  as  '  The  Days  of  Bruce.' " — Britannia. 

"'The  Days  of  Bruce'  was  written  when,  in  the  vigor  of  intellectual 
strength,  Grace  Aguilar  was  planning  many  things,  and  all  for  good  ;  it  was, 
we  know,  her  especial  favorite ;  it  is  full  of  deep  interest."— Mrs.  S.  C.  Hall, 
in  Sharpens  Magazine. 

"It  is  a  volume  which  may  be  considered  as  solid  history,  but  is  never- 
theless entertaining  as  the  most  charming  novel  ever  produced  by  genius. 
Sir  Walter  Scott's  name  as  an  author  would  not  have  been  disgraced  by  it 
had  it  appeared  on  the  title-page  instead  of  Grace  Aguilar." — Bucks  Chronicle. 

"This  deeply-interesting  romance— a  composition  of  great  eloquence, 
written  with  practised  polish  and  enthusiastic  energy.  We  are  not  surprised 
at  the  eloquence,  the  warmth,  and  the  pathos  with  which  Grace  Aguilar 
paints  love-passages ;  but  we  are  astonished  at  the  fire  and  accuracy^  with 
which  she  depicts  scenes  of  daring  and  of  death."—  Observer. 

"  The  tale  is  well  told,  the  interest  warmly  sustained  throughout,  and  the 
delineation  of  female  character  is  marked  by  a  delicate  sense  of  moral  beau- 
ty. It  is  a  work  that  may  be  confided  to  the  hands  of  a  daughter  by  her 
parent." — Court  Journal. 

"  Every  one  who  knows  the  works  of  this  lamented  author,  must  observe 
that  she  rises  with  her  subjects.  In  'The  Days  of  Bruce'  she  has  thrown 
herself  into  the  rugged  life  of  the  fourteenth  century,  and  has  depicted  the 
semi-civilization  of  the  period  in  a  manner  that  is  quite  marvellous  in  a 
young  woman.  Grace  Aguilar  always  excelled  in  her  delineations  of  female 
character,  while  the  skill  she  evinces  in  the  illustration  of  the  historical 
personages,  and  her  individualization  of  the  imaginary  ones,  might  at  once 
entitle  her  to  a  birthplace  among  historical  novelists."— Ladies"  Companion. 

"  Her  pen  was  ever  devoted  to  the  cause  of  virtue ;  and  her  various  pub- 
lications, exhibiting  the  beauties  and  enforcing  the  practice  of  the  'tender 
charities '  of  domestic  life,  have,  we  doubt  not,  recommended  themselves  to 
the  hearts  of  numbers  of  her  countrywomen.  The  work  before  us  differ* 
from  the  former  publications  of  its  author,  inasmuch  as  it  is  in  fact  an  his- 
torical romance,  for  this  species  of  writing  the  high  feeling  of  Grace  Aguilar 
peculiarly  fitted  her;  many  of  the  scenes  are  very  highly  wrought;  and 
while  it  will  fix  in  the  reader's  mind  a  truthful  idea  of  the  history  and  style 
of  manners  of  '  The  Days  of  Bruce,'  it  will  also  impress  upon  him  a  strong 
sense  of  the  ability  and  noble  cast  of  thought  which  distinguished  its 
lamented'  author."— Englishwoman's  Magazine. 

New  York:  D,  APPLETON  &  CO. 


GRACE  AGUILAR  8    WORKS. 


"  We  look  upon  *  The  Days  of  "Bruce '  as  an  elegantly-written  and  inter, 
esting  romance,  and  nlace  it  by  the  side  of  Miss  Porter's  4  Scottish  Chiefs/  M 
—Gentleman's  Magazine. 

"  A  very  pleasing  and  successful  attempt  to  combine  ideal  delineation  of 
character  with  the  records  of  history.  Very  beautiful  and  very  true  are  the 
portraits  of  the  female  mind  and  heart  which  Grace  Aguilar  knew  how  to 
draw.  This  is  the  chief  charm  of  all  her  writings,  and  in '  The  Days  of 
Bruce'  the  reader  will  have  the  pleasure  of  viewing  this  skilful  portraiture 
In  the  characters  of  Isoiine  and  Agnes,  and  Isabella  of  Buchan."— Literary 
Gazette. 

*•  What  a  fertile  mind  was  that  of  Grace  Aguilar !  What  an  early  develop- 
ment of  reflection,  of  feeling,  of  taste,  of  power  of  invention,  of  true  and 
earnest  eloquence !  *  The  Days  of  Bruce '  is  a  composition  of  her  early 
youth,  but  full  of  beauty.  Grace  Aguilar  knew  the  female  heart  better  than 
any  writer  of  our  day,  and  in  every  fiction  from  her  pen  we  trace  the  same 
masterly  analysis  and  development  of  the  motives  and  feelings  of  woman's 
nature.  '  The  Days  of  Bruce  *  possesses  also  the  attractions  of  an  extremely 
interesting  story,  that  absorbs  the  attention,  and  never  suffers  it  to  flag  till 
the  last  page  is  closed,  and  then  the  reader  will  lay  down  the  volume  with 
regret."-—  Critic. 


E  SCENES  AND  HEART  STUDIES, 


By   GRACE    AG-UILAR. 

WITH     ILLUSTRATIONS. 
One  volume,   12mo.     Cloth.     Price,  $1.00. 


The  Perez  Family. 

The    Stone-Cutter's   Boy   or 

Possagno. 
Amete  and  Yafeh. 
The  Fugitive. 

The  Edict  ;  a  Tale  of  1492. 
The  Escape  ;  a  Tale  of  1755. 
Red  Rose  Villa. 
Gonzalyo's  Daughter. 
The  Authoress. 

The  Triumph 


Helon. 

Lucy. 

The  Spirit's  Entreaty. 

Idalie. 

Lady  Gresham's  Fete. 

The  Group  of  Sculpture. 

The  Spirit  of  Night. 

Recollections  of  a  Rambler, 

Cast    thy    Bread    upon   thi 

Waters, 
of  Love. 


New  York :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO. 


GRACE  AGUILARS    WORKS. 


WOMAN'S  FRIENDSHIP. 

A    STORY    Or     DOMESTIC    LIFE. 

By  GEAOE  AGUILAE. 

With  Illustrations,    One  volume,  12mo.    Cloth.    Price,  $1.00. 

"  To  show  us  how  divine  a  thing 
A  woman  may  be  made."— Wokdsworth. 

"  This  story  illustrates,  with  feeling  and  power,  that  beneficial  inflaenoe 
which,  women  exercise,  in  their  own  quiet  way,  over  characters  and  events 
in  our  every-day  life." — Britannia. 

"  The  book  is  one  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  in  various  ways,  and 
presents  an  admirable  conception  of  the  depths  and  sincerity  of  female 
friendship,  as  exhibited  in  England  by  Englishwomen."—  Weekly  Chronicle. 

"  We  began  to  read  the  volume  late  in  the  evening ;  and,  although  it  con- 
sists of  about  400  pages,  our  eyes  could  not  close  in  sleep  until  we  had  read 
the  whole.  This  excellent  book  should  find  a  place  on  every  drawing-room 
table— nay,  in  every  library  in  the  kingdom."— Bucks  Chronicle. 

"  We  congratulate  Miss  Aguilar  on  the  spirit,  motive,  and  composition 
of  this  story.  Her  aims  are  eminentlv  moral,  and  her  cause  comes  recom- 
mended by  the  most  beautiful  associations.  These,  connected  with  the  skill 
here  evinced  in  their  development,  insure  the  success  of  her  labors."— 
Illustrated  News. 

"As  a  writer  of  remarkable  grace  and  delicacy,  she  devoted  herself  to 
the  inculcation  of  the  virtues,  more  especially  those  which  are  the  peculiar 
charm  of  women." — Critic. 

"  It  is  a  book  for  all  classes  of  readers ;  and  we  have  no  hesitation  in 
Baying,  that  it  only  requires  to  be  generally  known  to  become  exceedingly 
popular.  In  our  estimation  it  has  far  more  attractions  than  Miss  Burney's 
celebrated,  but  overestimated,  novel  of  '  Cecilia.' " — Herts  County  Press* 

"  This  very  interesting  and  agreeable  tale  has  remained  longer  without 
notice  on  our  part  than  we  could  have  desired ;  but  we  would  now  endeavor 
to  make  amends  for  the  delay,  by  assuring  our  readers  that  it  is  a  most  ably- 
written  publication,  full  of  the  nicest  points  of  information  and  utility  that 
could  have  been  by  any  possibility  constructed ;  and,  as  a  proof  of  its  value, 
it  may  suffice  to  say,  that  it  has  been  taken  from  our  table  again  and  again 
by  several  individuals,  from  the  recommendation  of  those  who  had  already 
perused  it,  and  so  prevented  our  giving  an  earlier  attention  to  its  manifold 
claims  for  the  favorable  criticism.  It  is  peculiarly  adapted  for  the  young, 
and  wherever  it  goes  will  be  received  with  gratification,  and  command  very 
extensive  approbation."—^^  Weekly  Messenger. 

"  This  is  a  handsome  volume :  just  such  a  book  as  we  would  expect  to 
find  among  the  volumes  composing  a  lady's  library.  Its  interior  corre*- 
sponds  with  its  exterior ;  it  is  a  most  fascinating  tale,  full  of  noble  and  just 
sentiments."— Palladium. 


ffew  York  :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO. 


GRACE  AGUILAICS    WORKS. 


The  Vale  op  Cedars- 

OR, 

THE    MARTYR. 

A    STORY    OF    SPAIN    IN    THE    FIFTEENTH    CENTURY. 

By  GRACE   AGTJTLAIt. 
With  Illustrations.    1  vol.,  12mo.     Cloth,  $1.00, 

M  The  authoress  of  this  most  fascinating  volume  has  selected  for  her  field 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  eras  in  modern  history — the  reigns  of  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella.  The  tale  turns  on  the  extraordinary  extent  to  which 
concealed  Judaism  bad  gained  footing  at  that  period  in  Spain.  It  is  marked 
by  much  power  of  description,  and  by  a  woman's  delicacy  of  touch,  and  it 
will  add  to  its  writer's  well-earned  reputation." — Eclectic  Review. 

"  The  scene  of  this  interesting  tale  is  laid  during  the  reign  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella.  The  Yale  of  Cedars  is  the  retreat  of  a  Jewish  family,  com- 
pelled by  persecution  to  perform  their  religious  rites  with  the  utmost 
secrecy.  On  the  singular  position  of  this  fated  race  in  the  most  Catholic 
land  of  Europe,  the  interest  of  the  tale  mainly  depends ;  whilst  a  few 
glimpses  of  the  horrons  of  the  terrible  Inquisition  are  afforded  the  reader, 
and  heighten  the  interest  of  the  narrative." — Sharpens  Magazine. 

11  Any  thing  which  proceeds  from  the  pen  of  the  authoress  of  this  volume 
is  sure  to  command  attention  and  appreciation.  There  is  so  much  of  deli- 
cacy and  refinement  about  her  style,  and  such  a  faithful  delineation  of 
nature  in  all  she  attempts,  that  she  has  taken  her  place  amongst  the  highest 
class  of  modern  writers  of  fiction.  We  consider  this  to  be  one  of  Miss 
Aguilar's  best  efforts."-— BelVs  Weekly  Messenger. 

"  We  heartily  commend  the  work  to  our  readers  as  one  exhibiting,  not 
merely  talent,  bnt  genius,  and  a  degree  of  earnestness,  fidelity  to  Nature, 
and  artistic  grace,  rarely  found."— Herts  County  Press. 

"  The  '  Vale  of  Cedars '  is  indeed  one  of  the  most  touching  and  interest- 
ing stories  that  have  ever  issued  from  the  press.  There  is  a  life-like  reality 
about  it  which  is  not  often  observed  in  works  of  this  nature  ;  while  we  read 
it  we  felt  as  if  we  were  witnesses  of  the  various  scenes  it  depicts." — Buclcs 
Chronicle. 

"It  is  a  tale  of  deep  and  pure  devotion,  very  touchingly  narrated."— 
dtlas. 

"  The  authoress  has  already  received  our  commendation ;  her  present 
work  is  calculated  to  sustain  her  reputation." — Illustrated  News. 

"  It  is  indeed  a  historical  romance  of  a  high  class.  Seeing  how  steady 
and  yet  rapid  was  her  improvement— how  rich  the  promise  of  her  genius — 
It  is  impossible  to  close  this  notice  of  her  last  and  best  work,  without 
lamenting  that  the  authoress  was  so  untimely  snatched  from  a  world  she 
appeared  destined,  as  certainly  she  was  singularly  qualified,  to  adorn  and" 
to  improve.'' — Critic. 


New  York :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO. 


